Efficient photocatalytic degradation of water pollutant Brufen using lutetium doped cerium oxide nanoparticles synthesized by chemical precipitation method

•Synthesis of lutetium doped cerium oxide via chemical precipitation method.•Photocatalytic degradation of Ibuprofen using visible light irradiation.•Efficiency of nanoparticle was found to be about 92% in degrading the drug.•Sample study was performed by Brufen-200 and confirmed its practical applicability. Plants act the foremost source of molecules for the advancement of new drugs regarding anti-inflammatory action. In recent years, pharmaceutical compounds have been categorized as the emerging pollutants and have grabbed the attention of the researchers due to their existence in wastewater. They have been detected in drinking water which shows that the wastewater treatment plants are always not efficacious. These contaminants are pernicious if present in higher dosage and cause several risk factors to humans, animals, and aquatic systems. Ibuprofen, one of the most prescribed analgesics found to cause severe damage to stomach and intestine has been subjected to photocatalytic degradation using Lutetium doped Cerium oxide nanoparticles. The nanoparticles were synthesized using chemical precipitation method which is cost effective, simple, and ecofriendly. The synthesized nanomaterial was characterized and confirmed using several analytical techniques like X-Ray Diffraction studies (XRD), Fourier Transform-Infrared Spectroscopy (FT-IR), UV-Diffuse Reflectance Spectroscopy (UV-DRS), High Resolution Scanning Electron Microscopy (HRSEM), X-Ray energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDAX), High Resolution Transmission Electron Microscopy (HRTEM), and X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS). XRD data revealed the cubic shape of the nanoparticles with approximate size of 6–12 nm. FT-IR study confirmed the presence of metal oxide peak at 550 cm−1 along with the peaks of other functional groups. HRSEM and HRTEM images confirmed cubic structure validating the XRD results. The band gap of the synthesized nanoparticles decreased from 3.25 eV to 2.90 eV in comparison with the pristine CeO2 with LuCeO2. XPS results revealed the oxidation state of lutetium as +3. The photocatalytic conditions were optimized and the optimization study confirms that the catalyst effectively degrades the drug. The degradation efficiency was calculated and was observed to be 92%. Real sample analysis was also performed using Brufen 200 tablet which confirms the practical application of the photocatalyst. [Display omitted]