Facile synthesis of CeO2 nanoparticles and their applications in photodegradation of methylene blue and as supercapacitor electrode material

This work comprises a facile synthesis of cerium dioxide nanoparticles (CeO 2 NPs) using hydrothermal method. The characterization of the CeO 2 NPs was carried out using different techniques such as powder X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy and ultra-violet visible spectroscopy. The photocatalytic activity of the CeO 2 NPs was evaluated for the degradation of methylene blue under the sunlight irradiation. CeO 2 NPs, nanosphere obtained by the hydrothermal decomposition showed the highest photocatalytic efficiency (74.04%) due to their nanosize. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, galvanostatic charge/discharge and cyclic voltammetry were used to examine the electrochemical properties of the electrode prepared using CeO 2 nanoparticles. The CeO 2 nanoparticles showed a specific capacitance of 91.75 F g −1 at a current density of 1 A g −1 .