Advancements in organic pollutant remediation: The role of nitrogen-doped rGO-CeO2 in photocatalytic efficiency enhancement

In this work, a novel nitrogen-doped reduced graphene oxide-ceria (N-doped rGO-CeO2) photocatalyst was successfully synthesized and exhibited a notable capability in degrading various organic pollutants. Among the synthesized samples, rGO-CeO2-900 N2 demonstrated the most efficient photocatalytic activity, achieving a 77.43% degradation rate for tetracycline (TC) fitting the modified Elovich model (R2 = 0.99). The CeO2 addition can increase defects and amorphous carbon species in rGO in Raman spectra. The rGO adding and N doping can contribute to more effective separation of photo-excited electrons/holes (e-/h+) and a faster rate of charge transfer via the results of photochemical tests. With the combination between rGO and CeO2, the N doped rGO-CeO2 catalyst gains certain anti-H+ ability in TC degradation and more·O2- can be generated under light, while the N doping can form an impurity level N 2p in CeO2 and create additional reactive sites on the rGO. This N doped rGO-CeO2 photocatalyst is well-suited for the harmless degradation and offers significant potential in wastewater treatment and pollution control.