Synthesis and enhanced electrochemical properties of Sm:CeO2 nanostructure by hydrothermal route

•CeO2 and Sm doped CeO2 nanorods/particles were prepared by the hydrothermal route with mild reaction and aging at 0 °C.•The UV–vis absorption and photoluminescence spectra of CeO2 and Sm:CeO2 show red-shift and enhanced light emission, due to ceria 3+/4+ energy states.•The accumulated capacitance increased due to depressed larger semicircle from kHz to MHz, for Sm doped CeO2.•The C–V measurements for Sm:CeO2 the charge saturation increased in Sm doped about 2.6 mA/cm2.

“Pure” ceria and samarium doped ceria nanostructures have been synthesized by the hydrothermal route with mild reaction condition. The structure and morphology of as-prepared samples were studied by X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning microscopy (FE-SEM and atomic force microscopy (AFM) techniques. AFM analysis shows that the prepared samples are well defined nanorods/particles of 120–150 nm diameter and 1–1.5 µm lengths. UV–vis spectroscopy and fluorescence spectrophotometer techniques have been used to study the optical properties. The observed red shift in the UV–vis absorption spectra confirmed the promoted electron–phonon interaction in CeO2 and Sm:CeO2 nanorods compared to bulk structures. The electrical properties were studied by using cyclic voltammetry and impedance spectroscopy. Cyclic voltammetry (CV) results demonstrated that the Sm:CeO2 nanoparticles exhibited a higher electro-oxidation than CeO2 nanorods.