Thermally stable ordered mesoporous CeO2/TiO2 visible-light photocatalysts.

Thermally stable, ordered mesoporous CeO2/TiO2 (Ce/Ti molar ratio=0.05) visible-light photocatalysts have been fabricated by the evaporation-induced self-assembly method. Introducing highly dispersed CeO2 species into the mesoporous TiO2 framework can effectively extend the response of TiO2 to the visible-light region and improve the thermal stability of the mesoporous TiO2. The products calcined at 500 degrees C exhibit superior photocatalytic performance in the photochemical degradation of methylene blue under visible-light irradiation. The products are characterized by using X-ray diffraction (XRD), Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Raman, photo-luminescent (PL), and ultraviolet-visible-light reflectance (UV-vis) spectroscopy. The relationship between the physicochemical property and the photocatalytic performance of the as-prepared samples is discussed.