Honeycomb nano cerium oxide fabricated by vacuum drying process with sodium alginate

Nano cerium oxide (CeO₂) with honeycomb structure were synthesized simply and rapidly by vacuum drying method with sodium alginate as the biological template agent, Ce(NO₃)₃·6H₂O as cerium source. The composition, aperture size, specific surface area and morphology of the prepared samples were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), N₂ adsorption-desorption and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Simultaneously, the effects on the morphology of the samples, which were caused by the drying method and the concentration of sodium alginate, were investigated. The results indicate that the prepared samples were nano CeO₂ with high crystallinity and uniform dispersion, most of which had mesoporous, macroporous and honeycomb structure. The specific surface area of CeO₂ is 210.0 m2/g, and the average aperture is 12.77 nm. The prepared samples can act as catalyst in the catalytic wet oxidation process for the treatment of high concentration organic wastewater, and the COD removal rate could exceed 90%. (paper)