Find in Library

The impact of a CeO₂-ZnO nanocomposite on the photocatalytic and antibacterial properties compared to bare ZnO was investigated. A CeO₂-ZnO nanocomposite was synthesized using Acacia nilotica fruit extract as a novel fuel by a simple solution combustion method. The obtained CeO₂-ZnO nanocomposite was confirmed structurally by XRD, FTIR, Raman and UV-DRS and morphologically by SEM/TEM analysis. The XRD pattern indicates the presence of both hexagonal Wurtzite-structured ZnO (major) and cubic-phase CeO₂ (minor). FTIR shows the presence of a Ce-O-Ce vibration at 468 cm⁻¹ and Zn-O vibration at 445 cm⁻¹. The existence of a band at 460 cm⁻¹ confirmed the F_2g Raman-active mode of the fluorite cubic crystalline structure for CeO₂. Diffused reflectance spectroscopy was used to estimate the bandgap (E_g) from Kubelka–Munk (K–M) theory which was found to be 3.4 eV. TEM analysis shows almost spherical-shaped particles, at a size of about 10–15 nm. The CeO₂-ZnO nanocomposite shows a good BET specific surface area of 30 m²g⁻¹. The surface defects and porosity of the CeO₂-ZnO nanocomposite caused methylene blue (MB) dye to degrade under sunlight (88%) and UV light (92%). The CeO₂-ZnO nanocomposite also exhibited considerable antibacterial activity against a pathogenic bacterial strain.