Facile synthesis of Tl, Pb, and Bi doped CeO2 nanoparticles and the evaluation of their in-vitro cytotoxicity and photocatalytic performance

Abstract

Our work attempted a green route for provisioning of thallium, lead, and bismuth into cerium oxide nanoparticles (Tl, Pb, and Bi–CeO2 NP) via the application of Alhagi maurorum. We configured the physicochemical attributes of procured NPs via PXRD, Raman, FESEM/PSA/EDX, and UV–Vis/DRS assessments. Attendance of doped metals in structure of CeO2 was confirmed by outcomes of PXRD and EDX analyses. Next to the porous morphology, FESEM images also demonstrated the induced alterations in particle size after the doping of different metals. We also tested the photocatalytic function of synthesized NP on Methylene blue (MB) dye on UV light, which displayed the superior degradation functionality of Tl–CeO2 NP. The toxicity function of synthesized pure and Tl, Pb, and Bi–CeO2 NP on breast cancer cell (MDA-MB-231) and breast normal cell (MCF-10 A) lines was considered through the results of MTT trial. The outcomes of synthesized NPs displayed no signs of any cytotoxic effects against MCF-10 A and MDA-MB-231 cells, which signified the creation of non-toxic nanoparticles by the introduced doping process. Therefore, we suggest the applicability of our product in drug delivery systems and also industrial implementations similar to dye photodegradation and annihilation of pollution.