Reactive removal of 2-chloroethyl ethyl sulfide vapors under visible light irradiation by cerium oxide modified highly porous zirconium (hydr) oxide

[Display omitted] •Microporous zirconium-cerium (hydr) oxides were synthetized.•Ce presence narrowed the band gap of the materials.•The samples showed a high efficiency for removal of CEES vapors.•1,2-Bis (ethyl thio) ethane and ethyl vinyl sulfide were the main reaction products.•5% (Ce/Zrmol) addition of cerium oxide results in the best performing material. Highly porous cerium oxide modified Zr(OH)4 samples were synthesized using a simple one stage urea precipitation method. The amorphicity level of zirconium hydroxide did not change upon addition of cerium oxide particles. A unique aspect of the cerium oxide-modified materials is the presence of both the oxide (CeO2) and hydroxide (Zr(OH)4) phases resulting in a unique microporous structure of the final material. Extensive characterization using various chemical and physical methods revealed significant differences in the surface features. All synthesized materials were microporous and small additions of cerium oxide affected the surface chemistry. These samples were found as effective catalysts for a decontamination of mustard gas surrogate, 2-chloroethyl ethyl sulfide (CEES). Cerium oxide addition significantly decreased the band gap of zirconium hydroxide. Ethyl vinyl sulfide and 1,2-bis (Ethyl thio) ethane were identified as surface reaction products.