Synthesis and characterizations of Ce2Zr2O7–TiO2 for increased photocatalytic activity toward degradation of methylene blue

Abstract

Herein, novel Ce2Zr2O7–TiO2 was synthesized by the green method using Annona Squamosa L. peels extract (ASE). ASE contains alkaloids as hydrolyzing and capping agents for the formation of Ce2Zr2O7–TiO2. Various characterizations were conducted to elucidate the vibrational, optical, structural, morphological, elemental composition and photocatalytic properties of Ce2Zr2O7–TiO2. The photocatalytic activity of TiO2, Ce2Zr2O7, and Ce2Zr2O7–TiO2 was evaluated for methylene blue degradation under irradiated visible light. The degradation percentage using Ce2Zr2O7–TiO2 was higher than that of both TiO2 and Ce2Zr2O7. TiO2 modification with Ce2Zr2O7 increased the photocatalytic activity due to the increased light absorption in the visible region and a low electron-hole recombination rate. The reaction kinetics of methylene blue degradation over Ce2Zr2O7–TiO2 was found to be a pseudo-first-order rate with kapp value of = 1.1 × 10−2 min−1, which was around 4-fold higher than that of TiO2. Importantly, this research suggests the preparation of a novel TiO2-based photocatalyst with good photoresponse in the visible region for potential water treatment application.