Influence of 60Co gamma radiation on the structural, morphological and optical properties of hydrothermally synthesized MoO3–CeO2 nanocomposite

The influence of 60Co gamma radiation on Molybdenum Oxide-Cerium Oxide (MoO3-CeO2) nanocomposite is investigated in the present study. The MoO3-CeO2 nanocomposite was synthesized by conventional hydrothermal route. Ammonium hepta molybdate tetrahydrate [(NH4)6Mo7O24.4H2O] and cerium nitrate [Ce (NO3)3.4H2O] were used as the precursors. The composite was subjected to high energy gamma irradiation for different doses of 50, 100 and 150 kGy using 60Co gamma irradiation chamber. The structural study was carried out using X-ray diffraction, the morphological studies were carried out using scanning electron microscopy and ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy was carried out to study the optical properties before and after irradiation. The crystallite size was found to increase with increasing doses of gamma irradiation. The morphology of the samples shows that the nanoparticles tend to agglomerate with increasing doses of gamma radiation. The energy bandgap of the MoO3-CeO2 nanocomposite was calculated before and after irradiation and found to decrease with increasing doses of irradiation upto 100 kGy and then increases for 150 kGy.