• Cu-doped CeO2 nanoparticles were synthesized via sol-gel process • Single phase fluorite structure confirmed pre & post doping with intense (111) peak • Defect level generates near CB to reduce e- + h+ recombination and activate ROS • ROS in our sample favor faster degradation of Rh-B within 1hr under UV irradiation • Less doping, convenient morphology enhances performance making processes economic Cerium dioxide (CeO 2 ) also known as ceria, is an extensively studied popular wide band gap semiconductor that is optically transparent in the visible region and exhibits strong luminescence behavior in the visible and near UV region. In this study, we report the influence of low concentration copper doping on the structural, optical and morphological properties in ceria nanoparticles. The nanoparticles were synthesized using a well-known sol-gel method at room temperature under ambient condition. Characterization techniques like XRD, FESEM and UV-Vis analysis reveal minor structural changes due to the substitution of Ce-ions with comparatively smaller Cu-ions. Such atomic replacement leads to the creation of vacancies and dislocations in the crystal. XRD results further support the fact indicating higher dislocation density after Cu doping. These defects create trapping states near the conduction bands, enabling electronic transitions via unoccupied Cu-3d orbitals and causing a red-shift in the bandgap. Cu-doped CeO 2 degrades more than 50% of Rhodamine-B under UV-light within optimal duration, which demonstrates its enhanced and fast photocatalytic performance. The observations exemplify low level Cu-doped CeO 2 NPs integrated with optimized morphology are potentially effective candidates for sustainable wastewater treatment. Mechanism to explain photocatalysis process to degrade Rhodamine-B dye under UV-radiation.
Choudhary et al. (Sun,) studied this question.