Effect of CeO2 Coupling on the Structural, Optical and Photocatalytic Performance of CePO4 Nanoparticles

This research work presents the synthesis and characterization of CeO2 coupled CePO4 nanocomposites using a hydrothermal technique to examine the coupled composites photocatalytic activity. Stru-ctural, optical and morphological characteristics of the compounds were analysed using XRD, FTIR, UV-DRS, PL, SEM, and EDS techniques. Rietveld refinement provided valuable insights into their structural properties. A 3D model was constructed to illustrate the successful coupling of CeO2 and CePO4. The photocatalytic performance of CePO4 was significantly increased by coupling with CeO2, and the C70 (70 : 30 weight ratio of CeO2 and CePO4) composite exhibited the highest degradation efficiency for RhB and MO dyes. Reactive oxygen species analysis was conducted to attribute the mechanism of the coupled composite. Furthermore, the synthesized composites demonstrated excellent specificity, stability, and reusability.