ISSN print edition: 0366-6352 ISSN electronic edition: 1336-9075 Registr. No.: MK SR 9/7 Published monthly

Phytogenic fabrication of CeO₂@SnO₂ heterojunction nanostructures for antioxidant studies

Shaidatul Najihah Matussin and Mohammad Mansoob Khan

Chemical Sciences, Faculty of Science, Universiti Brunei Darussalam, Gadong, Brunei Darussalam

E-mail: mmansoobkhan@yahoo.com

Received: 17 April 2021  Accepted: 7 November 2021

Abstract:

CeO₂@SnO₂ heterojunction nanostructures (HNs) have been synthesized via a green and phytogenic method using aqueous leaf extract of Tradescantia spathacea. The structural, optical and surface morphological studies were investigated using Powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), UV–Vis diffuse reflectance spectrophotometer (UV–Vis DRS), Photoluminescence (PL), Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET). Powder XRD data revealed tetragonal rutile structure of SnO₂ as well as the formation of cubic fluorite CeO₂ in which the crystallite size was in the range of 10 to 24 nm. The functional groups of phytochemicals on the surface of HNs were confirmed by FTIR. UV–Vis DRS showed a red-shift toward visible light which showed a reduced band gap energy. This reduction in band gap was also confirmed by valence band-XPS (VB-XPS). BET study showed lower surface area to volume ratio which was supported by SEM results through surface modification. Photoantioxidant activities of SnO₂ and CeO₂@SnO₂ HNs were tested, and it was found enhanced in the presence of light in comparison to dark condition. This suggests that CeO₂@SnO₂ HNs could be a potential candidate for biological related applications.

Graphical Abstract

Keywords: Green synthesis; CeO2; SnO2; Aqueous leaf extracts; Tradescantia spathacea; Heterojunction nanostructures; Photoantioxidant studies

Full paper is available at www.springerlink.com.

DOI: 10.1007/s11696-021-01977-1

Chemical Papers 76 (4) 2071–2084 (2022)