Study on cerium oxide photocatalyst under visible light irradiation

Abstract

This study focussed on the synthesis of cerium oxide semiconductor in newlineseveral form such as nanoparticles, beads and film using simple precipitation method, newlinesol gel method, dip coating method respectively. The purity and crystallinty of the newlinecerium oxide nanoparticles was found using XRD analysis. The crystallite size was newlinefound to be 10-18 nm using Scherres formula. Quanta 200 FEG equipment was used newlineto study the morphological behaviour of the cerium oxide nanoparticle. The newlineaggregation of the nanoparticle was visible from the SEM images and also well agreed newlinewith the XRD data. The orderliness and disorderliness was characterised using FT newlineRaman Spectroscopy. Thermal analysis of the cerium oxide nanoparticle was done to newlinecheck the thermal stability during synthesis and the photocatalytic reaction. The band newlinegap of the cerium oxide nanoparticle was found using UV DRS. Tauc s plot was used newlinefor the band gap calculations. The thermal behaviour and stability of the CeO2 newlinenanoparticle was studied with the help of Thermo gravimetric analysis. The higher the newlinestability of the sample with respect to increase in temperature and no weight loss was newlinereported. The efficiency of the synthesised cerium oxide nanoparticle was newlineevaluated and reported using photocatalytic batch reactor under visible light newlineirradiation. The organic pollutant chosen for this study was Methylene Blue. Effect of newlineoperating parameters on the photocatalysis was studied and reported. The MB dye newlinesolution was prepared and placed inside the photo reactor. newline newline