Synthesis of CeO2/e-HTiNbO5 Nanocomposite and Its Application for Photocatalytic Oxidation Desulfurization

Abstract

Nanoscaled CeO2/e-HTiNbO5 composite was assembled by a facile process using colloidal TiNbO[Formula: see text] (e-HTiNbO5) nanosheet and CeO2 colloid as precursors at room temperature. The nanosheet e-HTiNbO5 was obtained through proton-exchange and exfoliation process from its parent KTiNbO5. The microstructures and properties of the as-prepared samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Laser Raman spectroscopy (LRS), and UV-vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (UV-vis DRS), etc. The photocatalytic activity of the obtained nanocomposite is evaluated by the adsorption and photocatalytic oxidation of ethyl mercaptan (EM) under natural light irradiation. The results show that CeO2 nanoparticles are dispersed uniformly on the surface of e-HTiNbO5 and the layered structure of e-HTiNbO5 nanosheet maintains integrity. The interaction between dispersed CeO2 particles and e-HTiNbO5 results in lower bandgap compared to its precursors, and the photocatalytic activity of CeO2/e-HTiNbO5 are enhanced under natural light irradiation.