Application of ceria materials modified by oxygen vacancies: In photocatalytic process

Cerium-based materials are widely used in various applications such as photocatalytic environmental remediation, CO2 photoreduction and photocatalytic hydrogen production due to their unique optical properties and special oxygen vacancy formation mechanisms. The special external electronic structure of cerium (4f15d16s2f15d16s2), the highly electronic 4f orbital, promotes the formation of oxygen vacancies through Ce4+/Ce3+ conversion, thereby improving the optical properties of the catalyst. Consequently, the application of cerium-based materials in the field of photocatalysis has been of great interest to researchers. In this paper, we briefly review the synthesis of cerium-based photocatalysts and their applications in pollutant removal, CO2 reduction, and hydrogen production, as well as their promising applications.