Multi-functional properties of ternary CeO2/SnO2/rGO nanocomposites: Visible light driven photocatalyst and heavy metal removal

An eco-friendly ternary CeO2/SnO2/rGO (CSG) nanostructured photocatalyst was successfully synthesized via hydrothermal process. The nanocomposites material was characterized various analytical techniques such as X-ray diffraction (XRD), UV vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The synthesized CSG nanocomposites were used to remove methylene blue (MB) as a model organic pollution under solar light irradiation. The MB removal efficiency of CSG was found 95% for 90 min, which is showing synergy between binary composites CeO2/rGO and SnO2/rGO. The enhanced photocatalytic system is described in terms of increased light absorption intensity, reduced bandgap which enable the electron transfer, scavengers of the reactive species and prolonged photogenerated charge carriers. Also, this material was used to remove heavy metal ions (Pb2+ and Cd2+) in wastewater via batch equilibrium method have been studied. Unexpectedly, CSG nanocomposites was used photocatalyst against bacterial growth (gram-negative E. coli and gram positive S. aureus) in aqueous solution. The synthesized catalyst having capability for enhance photoactive nanocomposites open up a new opportunities in various areas in photocatalysis. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.