Sonochemical synthesis and characterization of cerium vanadate nanoparticles and investigation of its photocatalyst application

This research reports a facile sonochemical route for the synthesis of cerium vanadate (CeVO4) nanoparticles with the aid of ammonium metavanadate, and cerium (III) nitrate hexahydrate as the starting reagents and water as the solvent. The structural, morphological and optical properties of as-obtained products were characterized by techniques such as X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray microanalysis (EDX), and ultraviolet–visible (UV–vis) spectroscopy. The magnetic properties of as-prepared CeVO4 nanoparticles were also investigated with vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM). To evaluate the photocatalyst properties of nanocrystalline CeVO4, the photocatalytic degradation of methyl orange (MO) under ultraviolet light irradiation was carried out.