Efficient adsorption and antimicrobial application of bio-synthesized porous CeO2 nanoparticles

Abstract

The present research demonstrates the green synthesis of CeO2 nanoparticles (NPs) using the Acacia Concinna fruit extract by sol-gel route. The synthesized CeO2 NPs are applied for the adsorptive removal of Reactive Blue (RB) azo dye and antimicrobial activities. The CeO(2 )NPs are characterized using different techniques e.g. X-ray Diffraction Spectroscopy (XRD), Fourier-Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FT-IR), UV-vis Spectroscopy, Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM), High Resolution Transmission Electron Microscopy (HR-TEM), Dynamic Light Scattering (DLS), Raman Spectroscopy, etc. The structural investigations (XRD) reveal the single-phase cubic fluorite-type structure of CeO2 with 22.7 nm of crystallite size. The spectral analysis (FTIR) shows a strong vibration band below 849 cm-1 owing to Ce-O-Ce stretching vibrations. A porous network-like morphology of the CeO2 NPs is observed by SEM, where HR-TEM micrographs reveal that the nanoparticles are roughly spherical in nature. Raman spectroscopy confirms the vibrational mode of the cubic fluorite type structure of CeO2 NPs at 462 cm(-1). The maximum loading capacity of CeO2 NPS is 188.67 mg/g. The antibacterial activity of the CeO2 NPs is evaluated against S. pneumoniae and E.coli, which shows 96.17 % and 96.89 % growth inhibition at 20 mg/ l.