Photocatalytic degradation of Methylene Blue and electrochemical sensing of paracetamol using Cerium oxide nanoparticles synthesized via sonochemical route

Abstract

The present work deals with the synthesis of cerium oxide (CeO2) nanoparticles (CONPs) using sodium hydroxide and cerium nitrate as precursors via Sonochemical route. As synthesized, cerium oxide nano powders were calcined at 1000 °C to 1100 °C for 2 hrs. The obtained CONPs were characterised by using the advanced analytical methods. XRD (X-ray diffraction) analysis confirmed the pristine cubic fluorite structure for CeO2 NPs. The FTIR spectrum shows a strong broad band around 800 to 900 cm−1, for Ce-O stretching vibration to confirm the formation of pure CeO2. The particle size of CONPs was found to vary between 35 and 38 nm. Under UV light irradiation of the commercial dye methylene blue, these nano metal oxides demonstrated significant efficiency in photo degradation. A specific capacitance value of 59.78 Fg−1 was obtained from the cyclic voltammograms of the CeO2 electrode in 0.1N HCl solution with a scan rate of 10 to 50 mV/s. These electrodes have proved to be very sensitive towards the detection paracetamol. These findings revealed that CeO2 is an effective photocatalyst and a suitable electrode material for detecting paracetamol with high electrode reversibility.