Hydrangea-like meso-/macroporous ZnO-CeO₂ binary oxide materials: synthesis, photocatalysis and CO oxidation

Abstract

A series of ZnO-CeO2 binary oxides with a novel hydrangea-like morphology and meso-/macroporous hierarchical structure of high surface area (around 100 m2/g) were synthesized by a simple one-pot hydrothermal process in the presence of triblock copolymer F127. Homogeneous mixing of wurtzite ZnO and cubic phase CeO2 and the coexistence of Ce3+ and Ce4+ on the surface of the synthesized ZnO-CeO2 materials were confirmed. UV/Vis diffuse reflectance spectra show that the absorption edges of the binary oxides shift remarkably to the visible range relative to those of pure ZnO and CeO2. Their photoactivities were tested by photodegradation of Rhodamine B under UV and visible light irradiation, and excellent photocatalytic performance for organic waste degradation was found in the synthesized hydrangea-like meso-/macroporous ZnO-CeO2 materials. Furthermore, their application as heterogeneous catalysts for CO removal was evaluated, and the results indicate that the synthesized ZnO-CeO2 materials exhibit efficient activity for removing CO by catalytic oxidation, demonstrating a promising potential in environmental remediation.