Role of Silver Nanoclusters in the Enhanced Photocatalytic Activity of Cerium Oxide Nanoparticles. Issue 27 (10th July 2018)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Samai, Boby; Chall, Sayantani; Mati, Soumya Sundar; Bhattacharya, Subhash Chandra
• Is Part Of: European journal of inorganic chemistry. Issue 27(2018)
• Page Start: 3224
• Page End: 3231
• Publication Date: 2018-07-10
• Subjects: Cerium -- Silver -- Nanostructures -- Photocatalysis -- Reaction mechanisms; Chemistry, Inorganic -- Periodicals; Organometallic chemistry -- Periodicals; Bioinorganic chemistry -- Periodicals; Solid state chemistry -- Periodicals; 546
• DOI: 10.1002/ejic.201800230
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1434-1948

Abstract

Abstract : We have designed a silver‐nanocluster‐supported cerium oxide nanoparticle composite (AgNC/CeO2 ) to overcome the inapplicability of CeO2 as a photocatalyst due to a large band gap. A hydrothermal‐based synthetic strategy was followed to prepare spherical cerium oxide nanoparticles (CeO2 NPs). The AgNCs were synthesized separately. In the final step, silver‐nanocluster‐supported CeO2 nanoparticle composites were fabricated by simply mixing CeO2 and various concentrations of AgNC and stirring for 48 hours. The as‐prepared AgNC/CeO2 nanocomposites were employed as photocatalysts to study the degradation of the dye Acridine Red (AR) under UV light illumination. The results showed that the photocatalytic activities of the AgNC/CeO2 were enhanced several times compared with pure CeO2 NPs, even with a very low loading of AgNC (ca. 3 %). The increased catalytic activity of the AgNC/CeO2 nanocomposites was interpreted mechanistically by including the participation of reactive oxygen species, and corroborated experimentally. Thus, the AgNCs provide a convenient approach to improving the photocatalytic activity of CeO2 NPs. Abstract : UV‐light‐induced photocatalytic degradation of the dye Acridine Red has been achieved by using an AgNC/CeO2 nanocomposite. CeO2 nanoparticles having a large band gap are a poor photocatalyst, but in the presence of silver nanoclusters (AgNCs) as support, its photocatalytic efficiency is enhanced. This has been explained on the basis of an energy level match between the AgNCs and CeO2 .