A Convenient Method to Prepare Novel Rare Earth Metal Ce‐Doped Carbon Nitride with Enhanced Photocatalytic Activity Under Visible Light

Graphitic carbon nitride (g‐ C 3 N 4 ) doped with the rare earth metal Ce was prepared by a simple method using melamine and Ce( SO 4 ) 2 · 4H 2 O as precursors. X‐ray diffraction ( XRD ), UV ‐vis spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy ( FT‐IR ), scanning electron microscopy ( SEM ), photoluminescence ( PL ) spectroscopy, and X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy ( XPS ) were used to characterize the prepared catalysts. The results indicate that the introduction of Ce inhibits the crystal growth of g‐ C 3 N 4 , decreases the bandgap energy, and increases the separation efficiency of photogenerated electrons and holes. The activities of Ce‐doped g‐ C 3 N 4 catalysts were tested in the photocatalytic degradation of rhodamine B ( RhB ) under visible light. The rate constant of Ce‐doped g‐ C 3 N 4 is 2.1× that of neat g‐ C 3 N 4 . A possible mechanism is proposed.