Characterization and Preparation Nanosized CeFeO₃ by a Microwave Process

Abstract

Using Ce(NO3)3·6H2O and Fe(NO3)3·9H2O as raw material, the CeFeO3 nanoparticles was synthesized by a microwave process. The products was characterized by powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and UV-visible diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS).The results show that the CeFeO3 is single phase perovskite, and its morphology is nanosheets with nearly 40 nm thickness. The prepared nanosheets has an optical band gap of 1.77 eV, and exhibits strong visible-light absorption. The photocatalytic activity of CeFeO3 nanosheets was investigated in experimental simulation wastewater containing 10 mg/L methylene blue (MB). When the MB solution was irradiated by 90 min in the presence of CeFeO3 nanosheets under visible-light, the degradation rate of MB nearly reached to 100%. The photocatalytic experiment indicates that the prepared CeFeO3 nanosheets was highly visible-light activities for decomposition of sewage.