PEG-200 Assisted Sonochemical Synthesis of Cerium (Ce 3+) Doped Copper Oxide (CuO) Nano-Composites and Their Photocatalytic Activities

Abstract

CuO nanocomposites with different Ce3+ doping concentrations (0, 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, 3.0 and 5.0 mol%) were synthesized by PEG-200 assisted facile sonochemical method. The as-synthesized composites were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) and UV-visible absorption spectroscopy. Further, these composites were evaluated for photodegradation activities towards MB dye under sunlight irradiation. The XRD results demonstrated that CuO nanocomposites exhibits monoclinic phase and the crystallinity decreases with increasing Ce3+ doping concentration. The as-synthesized nanocomposites exhibited vesicular morphology with diameters ranging from 50 to 100nm. UV-visible absorption spectra results demonstrated that these nanocomposites exhibit strong absorption in the visible region and the absorption intensity increases with increasing Ce3+ doping concentration. The photocatalytic experiments using as-synthesized nanocomposites for degradation of Methylene blue (MB) dye revealed that, compared to undoped CuO; Ce3+ doped CuO nanocomposites exhibited improved photodegradation ability. The photodegradation rate was maximum for 3.0 mol% Ce3+ doped CuO which showed 98% degradation within 180 mins under sunlight irradiation. Recycling experiments demonstrated good stability of as-synthesized nanocomposites even after threere cycles.