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

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.