Electrochemical Properties, Antimicrobial Activity and Photocatalytic Performance of Cerium-Iron Oxide Nanoparticles

Cerium doped iron oxide nano-structured particles were synthesized by the hydrothermal method, which is a simple and inexpensive. The structure and properties of the samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD), UV-Vis absorption spectroscopy (UV), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and cyclic voltammetry (CV). Ciprofloxacin (CIP) degradation under visible light was observed to increase with increase in the ratio of cerium in the samples; the degradation percentage was 73% for the Fe20Ce sample. The electrodes produced from the synthesized particles were clearly seen to have an effect on the specific capacitance value of the cerium additive at a constant 100 mV(-1) scanning rate. In the antimicrobial activity analysis performed by Kirby-Bauer's disk diffusion method, it was determined that the activity of Fe20Ce nanoparticles against Escherichia coli (E. coli) bacteria was better than in the control group with antibiotics used in the study. An increase in the amount of cerium in the cerium-doped iron oxide nanoparticles positively affected their photocatalytic activity under visible light, the specific capacitance value and the efficiency against E-coli bacteria. Cerium doped iron oxide nanoparticles have been found to be a promising material that can be used in wastewater treatment, energy storage and antibacterial applications.