Preparation and photochemical properties of nanoparticles of ceria doped with zinc oxide

Abstract

Nanoparticles of CeO₂ doped with ZnO were syn thesised via soft solution chemical processes at 40°C and a final pH of 6. The particle size of CeO ₂decreased markedly after doping with ZnO. The solubility limit of ZnO in Ce_1-xZn_xO_2-x was determined to be x = 0·561. The oxidation catalytic activity of CeO₂ was effectively decreased by doping with ZnO. For the oxidation of phenol, the photocatalytic activity of ZnO doped CeO₂ was much lower than that of fine titania particles. ZnO doped CeO₂ showed excellent UV absorption and transparency in the visible region, in a similar manner to undoped CeO₂.