Synthesis and characterization of CeO2/rGO nanoflakes as electrode material for capacitive deionization technology

The development of capacitive deionization (CDI) electrode materials to improve electrochemical properties and specific capacitance (C-s) has attracted considerable attention. Due to their excellent physical, chemical, electrical, and electrochemical properties, cerium oxide nanoparticles (CeO2 NPs) have been intercalated between graphene nanoflakes (GNFs) to improve the electrosorption capacity of GNFs in CDI cells. In this study, the nanocomposite was prepared via simple sonication and hydrothermal treatment processes. The electrochemical activity of the nanocomposite was examined by cyclic voltammetry (CV) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) in an NaCl aqueous solution. Moreover, the desalination activity was performed based on a batch mode CDI technique. The studied nanocomposite demonstrated a distinct improvement in the C-s and electrosorption capacity compared to those of the pristine GNFs. The studied electrode material (5% CeO2@GNF) showed higher cycling stability, higher specific capacitance (452.26 F/g), higher salt removal efficiency (65%), and better electrosorption capacity (7.2 mg g(-1)) than GNFs and 10% CeO2@GNEs in 100 mu S cm(-2 )NaCl solution at 1.4 V. Overall, this study introduces a novel, efficient, and low-cost nanocomposite (CeO2@GNF) for the technological advancement of CDI.