Self assembly of Co doped CeO2 microspheres from nanocubes by hydrothermal method and their photodegradation activity on AO7

We successfully synthesized self assembled Co doped CeO2 microspheres from nanocubes via surfactant free hydrothermal technique. The surface shapes of CeO2 nanoparticles have been controlled and optimized by adjusting the molar concentration and pH value of the precursor. The structural properties of the prepared nanocubes have been investigated using electron diffraction and X-ray diffraction. High resolution transmission electron microscopy studies show that the co doped CeO2 nanocubes are in polycrystalline nature with highly porous structure. The photo catalytic activity of Co-doped CeO2 nanocubes under UV-Visible light was examined by degradation of azodyes acid orange 7 (AO7) in aqueous solution. The improved photocatalytic activity was attributed to the better adsorption ability and unique 4f electron configuration of CeO2. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.