Abstract
Cerium oxide nanoparticles (CeO2 NPs) were fabricated and grown on graphene sheets using a facile, low cost hydrothermal approach and subsequently characterized using different standard characterization techniques. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and electron paramagnetic resonance revealed the changes in surface states, composition, changes in Ce4+ to Ce3+ ratio, and other defects. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and high resolution TEM revealed that the fabricated CeO2 NPs to be spherical with particle size of ~10–12 nm. Combination of defects in CeO2 NPs with optimal amount of two-dimensional graphene sheets had a significant effect on the properties of the resulting hybrid CeO2-Graphene nanostructures, such as improved optical, photocatalytic, and photocapacitive performance. The excellent photocatalytic degradation performances were examined by monitoring their ability to degrade Congo red ~94.5% and methylene blue dye ~98% under visible light irradiation. The photoelectrode performance had a maximum photocapacitance of 177.54 Fg−1 and exhibited regular capacitive behavior. Therefore, the Ce3+-ion, surface-oxygen-vacancies, and defects-induced behavior can be attributed to the suppression of the recombination of photo-generated electron–hole pairs due to the rapid charge transfer between the CeO2 NPs and graphene sheets. These findings will have a profound effect on the use of CeO2-Graphene nanostructures for future energy and environment-related applications.
Highlights
Visible light-induced photocatalysis using harmless, sustainable, and inexhaustible solar energy is used widely in water purification to remove toxic organic pollutants, such as harmful organic dyes, herbicides, and pesticides[1]
Higher surface areas and small particles are favored because more active sites are available for molecules that can provide the surface for dye molecules for oxidation or reduction[4, 55, 56]
All the synthesized samples were characterized by XRD, Raman, UV-Vis, PL, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR), and TEM
Summary
Received: 24 March 2017 Accepted: 14 June 2017 Published: xx xx xxxx and Photocapacitive Performance of CeO2-Graphene Nanostructures. The Ce3+-ion, surface-oxygen-vacancies, and defects-induced behavior can be attributed to the suppression of the recombination of photo-generated electron–hole pairs due to the rapid charge transfer between the CeO2 NPs and graphene sheets These findings will have a profound effect on the use of CeO2-Graphene nanostructures for future energy and environmentrelated applications. A simple and scalable synthesis procedure was developed for the fabrication of CeO2–Graphene nanostructures through a facile and efficient hydrothermal method In this method, the hydrothermal treatment provides uniform anchoring/decoration of CeO2 NPs on the surface of graphene sheets, which helps improve the photocatalytic and photocapacitive performance of CeO2–Graphene nanostructures using the highly conductive graphene sheets network for effective charge transfer. These investigations can promote the further development of CeO2–Graphene-based devices for future energy or environment-related applications
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
