The preparation and property research on doping rare earth into nanosized Ce/ZnO photocatalyst

Nanosized Ce/ZnO was prepared from ZnSO₄·7H₂O, Ce(NO₃)₃·6H₂O and Citric acid and ethylene glyco by sol-gel method. The structural properties of the catalyst were characterized by means of XRD and SEM techniques. The catalytic activity was evaluated by photocatalytic degradation of methyl orange ind as a model reaction. The influences of doped quantities, the calcinatron temperature, stirring rate, initial concentration, flocculation dosage are all studied systematically. The results show that Ce³⁺ doping can significantly improve the photocatalysis of ZnO. The best proper Ce doping content is 0.25%, and the degradation rate of Ce/ZnO is increased by 23.2%, higher than that before Ce doping.