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Structural, optical, morphological and charge transfer properties of CeO2/MWCNTs nanocomposite and their photocatalytic activity of organic dye degradation

  • Original Paper: Characterization methods of sol-gel and hybrid materials
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Abstract

In the present work, the CeO2/MWCNTs nanocomposite was prepared by a one-step hydrothermal method. The composite formation, phase purity, crystal structure, vibrational modes, morphological, size, chemical state, and optical properties of the CeO2/MWCNTs nanocomposite were investigated using various analytical techniques (XRD, FT-IR, FE-SEM, TEM, XPS, UV-DRS and PL). The degradation of aqueous Methylene Blue (MB) and Rhodamine B (RhB) as model dyes under UV–visible light irradiation was used to assess the photocatalytic degradation efficiency of synthesized materials. CeO2/MWCNTs nanocomposite were shown to have a better photocatalytic degradation efficiency than pure CeO2. The excellent dye degradation behavior of CeO2/MWCNTs nanocomposite, a redshift in light absorption and prevention of photo-excited electron-hole pair recombination rate are all factors that contribute to photocatalytic dye degradation efficiency. The efficiency of photocatalytic dye degradation, photocurrent response and possible photocatalytic mechanisms were addressed. Furthermore, the catalyst stability was demonstrated over several dye treatment cycles.

Graphical abstract

The graphical abstract shows the general photocatalytic mechanism and degradation were performed using MB and RhB dyes as model pollutants under UV–Visible light. Furthermore, MWCNTs are essential for boosting the photocatalytic activity of the CeO2/MWCNTs nanocomposite due to their efficient charge transportation and low photo-excited charge transport recombination rates. In this photocatalytic experiment, the degradation efficiency has calculated the values of 58%, 92%, and 68%, 85% corresponding to the MB and RhB dye, respectively. The photocatalytic efficiency of binary composite was higher than the bare CeO2. The higher degradation efficiency of 92% of the CeO2/MWCNTs nanocomposite considered as a potential catalyst for photocatalytic application

Highlights

  • A CeO2/MWCNT nanocomposites was successfully synthesized by one step hydrothermal method.

  • The structural, optical, morphological properties of the CeO2/MWCNT nanocomposites was improved.

  • During repeated runs, the composite was successfully used for photodegradation of dyes.

  • In the composite, the synergistic effects of CeO2 and MWCNT were well studied.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Energy Science and Technology, Periyar University, Salem, 636 011, India

    Gomathi Abimannan, K. A. Ramesh Kumar & Palanisamy Maadeswaran

  2. Department of Physics, Saveetha School of Engineering, Saveetha Institute of Medical and Technical Sciences, Saveetha University, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, 602 105, India

    Prabhu Sengodan & F. Mary Anjalin

  3. Department of Chemistry, Saveetha School of Engineering, Saveetha Institute of Medical and Technical Sciences, Saveetha University, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, 602 105, India

    Siranjeevi Ravichandran

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  1. Gomathi Abimannan
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Contributions

GA: methodology, writing—original draft, data curation, visualization. PS: data curation, investigation, software, validation. SR, MA, and KARK: writing—review and editing. PM: writing—review and editing, conceptualization.

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Correspondence to Palanisamy Maadeswaran.

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Abimannan, G., Sengodan, P., Ravichandran, S. et al. Structural, optical, morphological and charge transfer properties of CeO2/MWCNTs nanocomposite and their photocatalytic activity of organic dye degradation. J Sol-Gel Sci Technol 105, 625–636 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10971-022-06001-w

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