Synthesis and Characterization of CeFeO3 Photocatalyst Used in Photocatalytic Bleaching of Gentian Violet

Ternary oxides have been used as effective photocatalyst for carrying out number of chemical reactions. Method of preparation has major effect on the performance of these mixed oxide catalysts. In the present work, cerium iron oxide catalyst was synthesized using co-precipitation method and specific heating cycle. Synthesized catalyst was characterized using X-ray diffraction patterns. Photocatalytic degradation on gentian violet dye was observed using this catalyst and progress of the reaction was monitored spectrophotometrically. The effect of variation of different parameters like concentration of gentian violet, pH, amount of semiconductor and light intensity was also studied. A tentative mechanism for the photocatalytic bleaching of gentian violet has been proposed.