Preparation and photocatalytic capability investigation of Ce-doped ZnO

In this study, 2-methylimidazole and zinc nitrate hexahydrate were used as raw materials to prepare ZIF-8 at room temperature, followed by calcination to obtain micro/nano-sized ZnO. The catalytic performance of the prepared ZnO in the degradation of rhodamine B (RhB) was investigated. The ZnO was doped with cerium in order to improve its photocatalytic capability. It was found that Ce doping slightly changes the band gap energy of ZnO. The factors affecting the photocatalytic activity of ZnO were systematically investigated, including the amount of doped Ce, the light source, pH and the substrate concentration. The experimental results show that the Ce-doped ZnO exhibits the highest photocatalytic performance when the Ce dopant concentration is 5% of Zn, under xenon lamp irradiation, in a slightly alkaline solution with a relatively low substrate concentration.