Facile hydrothermal synthesis of cerium oxide/rGO nanocomposite for photocatalytic and supercapacitor applications

The unique features of graphene materials make them excellent catalysts for photodegradation and energy applications. In the present work, CeO2/reduced graphene oxide (rGO) nanocomposites were prepared by a simple one-pot hydrothermal method. The nanocomposite is found to have a mesoporous structure with a surface area of 100.129 m2g−1. With the preferentially small surface area of the nanocomposite and the ability of the rGO to act as electron acceptor, the CeO2/rGO photocatalyst supresses the electron-pair recombination during photodegradation, thereby achieving a quick and efficient degradation of Direct Green dye. Under the influence of UV light, the CeO2/rGO degrades 84.1% of the dye which is 1.5 times more efficient than blank CeO2. Further, due to the conducting nature of rGO, the nanocomposites have also been evaluated for their electrochemical performance. It has been found that the addition of rGO results in a high capacitance (410.8 Fg−1 at current density of 1.0 Ag−1) and stability (94% after 500 cycles) of the CeO2/rGO electrode. The present work projects the excellent charge transport capability of rGO based CeO2 nanomaterials for dual applications in the areas of photocatalysis and electrocatalysis.