Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
---|---|---|---|---|
150651 | Chemical Engineering Journal | 2011 | 7 Pages |
In this contribution, nanoparticles composed of ZnO–CeO2 were synthesized by simple and efficient low temperature process and employed for the development of effective chemical sensor as well as photo-catalyst for the removal of environmental contaminants. Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), Raman spectroscopy and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) were used to confirmed the morphology and structure of the synthesized ZnO–CeO2 nanomaterial which revealed well crystalline aggregated nanoparticles with average diameters of ∼50 ± 10 nm. The composition of the nanoparticles was obtained by using EDS spectroscopy while the optical property was measured using UV–vis absorption spectrum. Photocatalytic degradation of acridine orange (AO) and methylene blue (MB) dyes has been carried out using ZnO–CeO2 nanoparticles, which showed 92.1% degradation for AO and 80.7% degradation for MB in 170 min of irradiation time. The analytical performance of ZnO–CeO2 nanoparticles fabricated ethanol sensor exhibited higher sensitivity (2.1949 μA cm−2 mM−1) as well as lower detection limit (0.6 ± 0.05 mM) in short response time.
► Newly synthesized ZnO–CeO2 nanoparticles. ► Low temperature synthesis. ► High sensitivity. ► Efficient photocatalyst. ► Eco-friendly chemi-sensor and photocatlyst.