Synthesis, Characterization and Photocatalytic Study of Sm3+ Doped Mesoporous CeO2 Nanoparticles

Abstract

CeO 2 and Sm 3+ (2.5, 10 and 15 wt%) doped CeO 2 nanoparticles have been synthesized by combining sol-gel and hydrothermal method. Synthesized samples were characterized by using Powder X-Ray Diffraction, FT-IR spectroscopy, X-Ray photoelectron spectroscopy, Transmission Electron Microscopy, UV-visible spectroscopy, TGA/DSC Analysis and BET surface area analysis. XRD pattern showed that as synthesized crystalline structures of CeO 2 nanoparticles are cubic fluorite type structure. TEM showed uniform particle size ranges from 10-20 nm and XPS confirmed the successful incorporation of Samarium. CeO 2 and Sm 3+ doped CeO 2 have high surface area and their pore size distribution is in the mesoporous range. Photocatalytic activity of prepared sample was studied using methylene blue (MB) dye degradation. Photocatalytic study showed that 10 wt% Sm 3+ doped CeO 2 sample has the highest catalytic activity among various sample synthesized.