Preparation, phase transformation and photocatalytic activities of cerium-doped mesoporous titania nanoparticles

Abstract

Cerium-doped mesoporous TiO 2 nanoparticles with high surface area and thermal stable anatase wall were synthesized via hydrothermal process in a cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB)/Ti(SO 4) 2/Ce(NO 3) 4/H 2O system. The obtained materials were characterized by XRD, FESEM, HRTEM, FTIR spectroscopy, nitrogen adsorption and DRS spectra. Experimental results indicated that the doping of cerium not only increased the surface area of mesoporous TiO 2 nanoparticles, but also inhibited the mesopores collapse and the anatase-to-rutile phase transformation. Moreover, the undoped, doped anatase mesoporous nanoparticles exhibit higher photocatalytic activity than commercial photocatalyst (Degussa, P25), but the maximum photodegradation rate corresponds to the undoped mesoporous TiO 2 nanoparticles. The lower photocatalytic activities of cerium-doped samples compared with undoped one may be ascribed to that the doped cerium partially blocks titania's surface sites available for the photodegradation and absorption of Rhodamine B (RB).