In this work, mesoporous CeO 2 crystalline film was prepared via calcining the solution of Ce(NO 3 ) 3 in ionic liquid (1-allyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride) containing cellulose. The as-prepared CeO 2 film was characterized by means of different techniques including X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy equipped with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy and nitrogen sorption analysis. It was indicated that the as-prepared CeO 2 film was composed of numerous CeO 2 crystals with size of ∼9nm, which assembled with each other to form interconnected channels within the film. The BET specific surface area and the pore volume of the CeO 2 film were estimated to be 62m 2 /g and 0.15cm 3 /g, respectively, based on the N 2 sorption isotherms. Being used as a support, the CeO 2 film was loaded with Au nanoparticles of ∼5nm in size via the reduction of HAuCl 4 with NaBH 4 in aqueous solution. The as-synthesized Au/CeO 2 nanocomposite demonstrated a good catalytic activity for aerobic oxidation of benzyl alcohol.