Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 29, 2025
11:47
The Effect of Interfacial Chemical Bonding in TiO2-SiO2 Composites on Their Photocatalytic NOx Abatement Performance
Published on: July 4, 2017
13.5K
Fabrication of Graphene-Based TiO2@CeO2 and CeO2@TiO2 Core-Shell Heterostructures for Enhanced Photocatalytic
Mitra Malekkiani1, Fatemeh Ravari1, Abbas Heshmati Jannat Magham1
1Department of Chemistry, Payame Noor University, Tehran 193954697, Iran.
ACS Omega
|September 5, 2022
Summary
This study synthesized novel core-shell nanostructures of titanium oxide (TiO2) and cerium oxide (CeO2) on reduced graphene oxide (rGO). The rGO-CeO2@TiO2 material demonstrated superior photocatalytic activity for degrading rhodamine B and low cytotoxicity against breast cancer cells.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Nanotechnology
- Environmental Chemistry
- Photocatalysis
Background:
- Efficient light-harvesting and suppressed charge carrier recombination are critical for effective photocatalysis.
- Core-shell heterostructures offer enhanced surface area and tunable electronic properties for photocatalytic applications.
- Reduced graphene oxide (rGO) serves as a conductive substrate, improving charge transfer in nanocomposites.
Purpose of the Study:
- To synthesize and characterize novel ternary core-shell nanostructures: rGO-CeO2@TiO2 and rGO-TiO2@CeO2.
- To evaluate the photocatalytic efficiency of these nanostructures for the degradation of rhodamine B under UV irradiation.
- To assess the potential cytotoxicity of the synthesized heterostructures against MCF-7 breast cancer cells.
Main Methods:
- Synthesis of core-shell heterostructures using titanium oxide (TiO2) and cerium oxide (CeO2) on a reduced graphene oxide (rGO) platform.
- Comprehensive characterization using techniques including TEM, SEM, EDX, FTIR, XRD, BET, XPS, and UV-Vis spectroscopy.
- Photocatalytic degradation experiments of rhodamine B, with optimization of parameters like pH, catalyst dosage, temperature, and contact time.
- Cytotoxicity assessment using a biological assay against MCF-7 breast cancer cells.
Main Results:
- The synthesized rGO-CeO2@TiO2 and rGO-TiO2@CeO2 nanostructures exhibited high surface areas and superior photocatalytic performance.
- rGO-CeO2@TiO2 demonstrated the highest photocatalytic activity, attributed to enhanced electron-hole separation and suppressed charge recombination.
- The heterostructure showed very low cytotoxicity against MCF-7 cells, with only 7.65% cell survival at a concentration of 17.5 mg mL−1.
Conclusions:
- Core-shell heterostructures, particularly rGO-CeO2@TiO2, are highly effective for degrading organic pollutants like rhodamine B.
- The enhanced photocatalytic performance is linked to improved charge carrier dynamics within the heterostructure architecture.
- The synthesized materials show promise as efficient and potentially safe photocatalysts with applications in environmental remediation and biomedical fields.
