Cobalt-Doped Ceria Nanorods for Enhanced Photocatalytic Performances

Herein, Co-doped CeO2 photocatalysts with the nanorods structures were successfully synthesized through a facile fabrication strategy under the mild conditions without the strict complementarity. The doped catalysts exhibited much higher photocatalytic activities, and the comprehensive properties were the best, when the Co content was about 1.8 wt % in the system. The photodegradation efficiency of RhB can be promoted by more than 3 times compared with the pure CeO2 sample. The enhanced photocatalytic performances for the doped samples can be explained by the improvement of bandgap structures. The enhanced photocatalytic properties are due to the much broader spectral response and richer oxygen vacancies. This research affords a positive strategy to develop the noble metal-free photocatalysts.