Preparation of CeO2 nanorods-reduced graphene oxide hybrid nanostructure with highly enhanced decolorization performance

Abstract

Decolorization by both adsorption and catalysis method, especially for the synergistic effect of these two methods is very important. Here, we report that CeO2 nanorods (NRs) with different amounts (wt%) of reduced graphene oxide (RGO) have been prepared by a facile hydrothermal method. The decolorization tests show that decolorization of methyl blue (MB) is attributed to both catalysis and absorption, though its adsorption over the catalyst CeO2 NRs-RGO mainly influences the decolorization, the visible light irradiation plays a vital role in increasing the decolorization efficiency. Incorporating RGO into CeO2 NRs matrix not only changes surface morphology and area, particle size, band gap, crystal structure and oxygen vacancy content of the latter, but also causes mutual charge transfer between RGO and CeO2 NRs, which therefore increases the decolorization efficiency of CeO2 NRs-RGO to be 95.4% and to be as high as 99.5% after addition of electron scavenger H2O2. The study demonstrates the synergistic effect of adsorption and photo-catalysis are very important in MB decolorization process over CeO2 NRs-RGO (9.2 wt%) and provides a possible way in the design of decolorization agent.