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

Nanoscaled CeO 2 /e-HTiNbO 5 composite was assembled by a facile process using colloidal TiNbO[Formula: see text] (e-HTiNbO 5 ) nanosheet and CeO 2 colloid as precursors at room temperature. The nanosheet e-HTiNbO 5 was obtained through proton-exchange and exfoliation process from its parent KTiNbO 5 . 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 CeO 2 nanoparticles are dispersed uniformly on the surface of e-HTiNbO 5 and the layered structure of e-HTiNbO 5 nanosheet maintains integrity. The interaction between dispersed CeO 2 particles and e-HTiNbO 5 results in lower bandgap compared to its precursors, and the photocatalytic activity of CeO 2 /e-HTiNbO 5 are enhanced under natural light irradiation.