Structural and functional properties of rare earth-based (NiO-CGO) nanocomposite produced by effective multiple doping approach via co-precipitation

ABSTRACT

Several metal oxide nanocomposites produced by multiple doping approaches with a combination of rare earth metals tend to show improved performance in various areas such as electrochemical, photocatalytic, and biomedical. In this study, NiO-CGO (Nickel-based Gadolinia-doped ceria with composition NiO-Ce0.8Gd0.2O2-δ) nanocomposite was synthesised by co-precipitation route using rare earth-based metal precursors. The identification of fluorite cubic crystal structure with no secondary phases stabilised by metal-oxygen bonds was done by XRD and FTIR analysis, respectively. The composition of the spherical composite nanoparticles with a size between 40 and 70 nm was determined by SEM/EDAX analysis. By impedance measurements, it was found out that the conductivity of NiO-CGO compacts is higher at a temperature between 400 and 600°C. The photodegradation activity of Alizarin Red S (ARS) under sunlight irradiation showed 81% of the nanocomposite in 120 min. The antibacterial activity of the synthesised NiO-CGO nanocomposite was studied against foodborne pathogens.

KEYWORDS:

• Metal oxide-nano composite
• C-TAB
• photocatalytic
• antibacterial activity

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

The authors (K K and K K S) acknowledge the NPRP grant # NPRP11S-1221-170116 from the Qatar National Research Fund (a member of Qatar Foundation).

Notes on contributors

Karthik Kannan

Dr. Karthik Kannan is currently working as a Research fellow at the Center for Advanced Materials, Qatar University, Doha, Qatar.  He has published more than 50 research articles in reputed journals. He has total citations 619, h-index: 16; i-10 index: 18 (from Google scholar). He is very active reviewer for various reputed of more than 20 SCI Journals. His current research interests are fuel cells, sensors, crystal growth, thin films, and nanocomposite materials for electronics, energy, environmental and biological applications.

D. Radhika

Dr. D. Radhika is currently working as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Chemistry, Jain-Deemed to be University, Bangalore, India. She has published more than 15 research articles in reputed journals. She has total citations: 70, h-index: 04, i10-index: 03. She has participated in more than 30 international and national conferences. Her field of research includes solid oxide fuel cells, nanocomposite materials for energy, environmental and biological applications.

Maria P. Nikolova

Dr. Maria P. Nikolova is currently working as a Associate Professor, Vice Dean of Faculty of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, University of Ruse Angel Kanchev, Ruse, Bulgaria. She has published more than 60 research articles in reputed journals and 5 book chapters. She has total citations: 80, h-index: 04, i10 index: 01.

Kishor Kumar Sadasivuni

Dr Kishor Kumar Sadasivuni is working as a Research Associate at the Center for Advanced Materials, Qatar University, Doha, Qatar. Dr. Sadasivuni was graduated from University of South Brittany, Lorient, France and currently he is working in Center for Advanced Materials, Qatar University. He has published more than 180 Journal papers, 12 book chapters and edited 7 books. He has total citations: 2804, h-index: 27, i-10 index: 65. He has around 10 years of experience in synthesis & characterization of nanoparticles and also in manufacturing nanocomposites for industrial applications. His areas of interest includes different types of nanocomposite fabrication, modifications, designs and their applications in lightweight technologies such as sensors, piezoelectric, actuators, energy storage, memory storage and flexible electronics. For the past ten years he has been a consultant providing solutions to numerous problems of the chemical, materials, polymer and plastic industries. He holds couple of patents in the field of engineering and material science. In 2017, he received Tyre & Rubber Industry Leadership Acknowledgement Awards (TRILA): Young Research Scholar of the Year. He has worked in many international laboratories including USA, Qatar, South Korea, Germany, Sweden, Italy and France.

Namitha R

Namitha R is currently working as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Chemistry, Jain-Deemed to be University, Bangalore, India. She has published more than 10 research articles in reputed journals. She has total citations: 56, h-index: 05, i10-index: 03. She has participated in more than 15 international and national conferences. Her field of research includes carbon nanotubes, nanomaterials for energy, environmental applications.