Preparation, characterization, and photocatalytic performance of Ce2S3 for nitrobenzene reduction

Ce2S3 photocatalysts were synthesized by a co-precipitation method using cerium nitrate and thioacetamide as raw materials. The samples were characterized by X-ray powder diffraction analysis, UV–visible diffuse reflectance spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and differential thermal analysis. Photocatalytic reduction of nitrobenzene (NB) under UV or visible light illumination was used to evaluate the photocatalytic activity of the Ce2S3 samples. The result indicated that the sample prepared at 300 °C for 12 h exhibited the highest activity. For 140 mL 8.13 × 10−4 mol/L of NB in methanol solvent, after illumination for 5 h, about 43.9% and 34.7% of NB were reduced to aniline over the sample under UV and visible light irradiation, respectively. The effects of the catalyst amount, illumination time, and sorts of solvent on the photocatalytic performance were investigated specifically. The reduction process of NB over Ce2S3 was finally discussed.