Cyclic Voltammetry Study and Solar Light Assisted Photocatalytic Activity of the CeFeO₃/CeO₂/Fe₂O₃ Composite

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Nanotechnology
• Environmental Chemistry

Background:

• Organic toxic dyes like methylene blue pose environmental hazards.
• Semiconducting nanocomposites are promising for photocatalytic degradation.
• Understanding phase composition and properties is crucial for material design.

Purpose of the Study:

• To synthesize and characterize a CeFeO₃/CeO₂/Fe₂O₃ nanocomposite.
• To investigate its photocatalytic activity for methylene blue degradation under solar radiation.
• To explore its electrochemical properties, specifically pseudo-capacitance.

Main Methods:

• Synthesis of the CeFeO₃/CeO₂/Fe₂O₃ nanocomposite using microwave irradiation.
• Phase analysis and structural characterization via Rietveld refinement (Fullprof, Match software).
• Photocatalytic degradation experiments under UV-visible light.
• Electrochemical characterization using cyclic voltammetry (CV).

Main Results:

• The synthesized material contains CeFeO₃ (orthorhombic), CeO₂ (cubic), and Fe₂O₃ (phases confirmed by Rietveld refinement).
• Microwave irradiation (800W, 30s cycles) led to the formation of CeO₂ and Fe₂O₃ byproducts from CeFeO₃ due to overheating.
• The nanocomposite effectively degraded methylene blue under UV-visible light.
• FTIR analysis confirmed the presence of metal-oxygen bonds, consistent with Rietveld refined parameters.
• TGA revealed an oxidation process leading to CeFeO₃ decomposition into CeO₂ and Fe₂O₃, with observable weight gain.
• CV curves indicated pseudo-capacitive behavior of the composite.

Conclusions:

• The CeFeO₃/CeO₂/Fe₂O₃ nanocomposite demonstrates effective photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue.
• The material's semiconducting nature and pseudo-capacitive properties are key to its performance.
• Microwave-assisted synthesis provides a controlled method for producing functional nanocomposites.