3D ball-type self-assemble CeO2nanostructure produced by facile hydrothermal strategy for catalytic wet air oxidation of N,N-dimethylformamide

CeO2plays an important role in heterogeneous catalysis, and its performance is highly dependent on the oxygen vacancies and surface defects, which can be easily tuned by manipulating the particle dimensions and morphology. In this article, we report a facile strategy to synthesize a new type of CeO2with modified surface property which can improve its ability to active oxygen. The obtained ball-type 3D self-assemble CeO2(M-CeO2) is composed of large amounts of small 1D crystals which are strongly connected with each other. Detailed characterizations confirm its morphology, particle size and improved reducibility with abundant fraction of Ce3+and more surface active oxygen when compared with CeO2-nanorods and CeO2-nanocubes. In the catalytic wet air oxidation (CWAO) of N,N-dimethylformamide, the total organic carbon (TOC) and total nitrogen (TN) conversion of M-CeO2at 180 °C in 3 h are 68% and 46%, respectively, which are higher than that of CeO2-nanorods and CeO2-nanocubes. Besides, M-CeO2presents the lowest activation energy, which is related to its modified surface property. The good stability with consecutive four reactions of M-CeO2in catalytic reactions suggests its potential application in CWAO processes for industrial wastewater treatment.