SYNTHESIS AND CHARACTERIZATION OF Ce DOPED ZnO TWO-DIMENSIONAL NANOSHEETS FOR VISIBLE LIGHT PHOTOCATALYTIC DEGRADATION OF MB

Abstract

Ce doped ZnO fish-scale shaped two-dimensional nanosheets photocatalysts (Ce-ZnO) were successfully prepared via hydrothermal method. The Ce-ZnO nanostructures were characterized by SEM, EDS, XRD, and UV-Vis DRS techniques. Ce ions were successfully incorporated into the lattice position of ZnO with Ce molar ratio lower than 1%. The photocatalytic capacity of Ce-doped ZnO nanosheets for removal of methylene blue (MB) were evaluated by batch experiment under visible light irradiation. The results revealed that the 1% mole ratio of Ce doped ZnO sample exhibited the highest photocatalytic efficiency for methylene blue (MB), where 96.48% of MB was degraded at 60 min.