biostudies-literatureGuan Jthe National Key Research and Development Program of ChinaChina Postdoctoral Science FoundationAnhui Province Silicon-based New Materials Special Industry Innovation Research Institute Open Fund ProjectNatural Science Foundation of Jiangsu Province128https://www.ebi.ac.uk/biostudies/studies/S-EPMC12940982biostudies-literatureUnknown12(2)A targeted modification approach involving the synthesis of Ce/C co-doped TiO₂ aerogels (CeCTi) via a sol-gel method combined with supercritical CO₂ drying and subsequent heat treatment is employed to enhance the photocatalytic CO₂ reduction performance of cost-effective and stable TiO₂ aerogels. The results demonstrate that the CeCTi exhibits a pearl-like porous network structure, an optical band gap of 2.90 eV, and a maximum specific surface area of 188.81 m²/g. The black aerogel sample shows an enhanced light absorption capability resulting from the Ce/C co-doping, which is attributed to the formation of oxygen vacancies. Under simulated sunlight irradiation, the production rates of CH₄ and CO reach 27.06 and 97.11 μmol gGels (Basel, Switzerland)Tailoring Electronic Structures via Ce/C Co-Doping and Oxygen Vacancy in TiO<sub>2</sub> Aerogels for Enhanced Solar Fuel Production.PMC129409822023YFB38123002023M741656BK20241876GYKF250101Xia YXu LGuan JShi BWang WLin YLiu SZhang RSun YWu XfalseTailoring Electronic Structures via Ce/C Co-Doping and Oxygen Vacancy in TiO<sub>2</sub> Aerogels for Enhanced Solar Fuel Production.A targeted modification approach involving the synthesis of Ce/C co-doped TiO₂ aerogels (CeCTi) via a sol-gel method combined with supercritical CO₂ drying and subsequent heat treatment is employed to enhance the photocatalytic CO₂ reduction performance of cost-effective and stable TiO₂ aerogels. The results demonstrate that the CeCTi exhibits a pearl-like porous network structure, an optical band gap of 2.90 eV, and a maximum specific surface area of 188.81 m²/g. The black aerogel sample shows an enhanced light absorption capability resulting from the Ce/C co-doping, which is attributed to the formation of oxygen vacancies. Under simulated sunlight irradiation, the production rates of CH₄ and CO reach 27.06 and 97.11 μmol g2026-01-01T00:00:00Z2026 Feb2026-07-11T03:17:51.974Z2026-07-11T03:11:58.307ZS-EPMC129409824174500010.3390/gels12020128