Synthesis of Gd2O3/CdO composite by sol-gel method: Structural, morphological, optical, electrochemical and magnetic studies

Metal-oxide based hybrid composite materials have broad applications in optical and electrochemical applications. Hence, in this present work fabrication of multifunctional Gd2O3/CdO composite using the facile sol-gel method. The crystalline structure, surface morphology, optical, electrochemical and magnetic behavior were studied. The composite formation, phase identification and crystalline structures of the cubic crystalline Gd2O3 and CdO particles of the composite were confirmed by the X-ray diffraction. Surface morphology and chemical composition analysis were examined using scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive X-ray analysis. The optical energy band-gap of the composite from the diffuse reflectance spectra is found to be 1.27 eV and 2.76 eV. The electrochemical performance was estimated from the cyclic voltammetry analysis. The symmetric nature of the voltammetry curve shows that this composite is a promising entrant for fast redox reactions with enhanced specific capacitance. The magnetization curve explores the sample behaves as paramagnetic at room temperature.