Sonochemical-assisted synthesis and characterization of CeO2 nanoparticles and its photocatalytic properties

In the present study, cerium oxide (CeO₂) nanoparticles were prepared through sonochemical-assisted method, using (NH₄)₂Ce(NO₃)₆, hydrazine and ethylenediamine as precursors. Also, the effects of concentration of precursors as well as reaction time on the morphology and size of nanoparticles were investigated. The synthesized CeO₂ nanoparticles were characterized by X-ray diffraction patterns, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and diffuse reflectance spectroscopy. The results indicate that the estimated particle size of synthesized CeO₂ nanoparticles is about 20–30 nm. Furthermore, photocatalytic activities of CeO₂ nanoparticles were investigated by degradation of methylene blue under UV-light irradiation.