Mesoporous CeO2 and Ce–Fe–O solid solutions with high content of hydroxyl groups were successfully synthesized using triblock copolymer P123 as the template and Ce(NO3)3·6H2O and Fe(NO3)3·9H2O as raw materials. The resultant samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), N2 adsorption–desorption, Raman, UV–vis, transmission electron microscopy, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy techniques. The X-ray diffraction results indicated that the synthesized samples exhibited cubic CeO2 without impurities. The photocatalytic activities of the prepared samples were evaluated by the decomposition of Rhodamine B (RhB) dye under weak natural light irradiation. The results showed that the photocatalytic efficiency of mesoporous CeO2 is higher than that of bulk CeO2, but lower than that of mesoporous Ce–Fe–O solid solution. Moreover, removing the template by extraction in ethanol leads to a much better photocatalyst compared with a calcinated one, due to the preservation of the hydroxyl groups on the mesoporous surface.

Amino-functionalized silica spheres with centrosymmetric radial mesopores and high amino loading were synthesized using the anionic surfactant N-lauroylsarcosine sodium (Sar-Na) as template and 3-aminopropyltrimethoxysilane (APTMS) as co-structure directing agent (CSDA) by an orthogonal experiment optimization. The synthesized amino-functionalized mesoporous silica (AFMS) was used as adsorbent to the selective adsorption of CO2. The effects of water vapor in the adsorptive stream on the adsorption properties of CO2 were investigated in detail. The results show that the synthesized adsorbent possesses a high adsorption selectivity for CO2 over CH4 and N2 due to the specific interactions between CO2 and amino groups. The presence of water vapor in the adsorptive stream can dramatically enhance the adsorbed amount of CO2 because of the partial formation of bicarbonate in the presence of moisture. Furthermore, the adsorbent shows a good stability, confirmed by adsorption-regeneration cycles. Based on these excellent properties, the application of the developed AFMS adsorbent in the selective adsorption of CO2 is anticipated.