Controlled Synthesis of CeO2/Graphene Nanocomposites with Highly Enhanced Optical and Catalytic Properties

In this paper, CeO2 nanocubes with the (200)-terminated surface/graphene sheet composites have been prepared successfully by a simple hydrothermal method. It is found that the CeO2 nanocubes with high crystallinity and specific exposed surface are well dispersed on well-exfoliated graphene surface. The (200)-terminated surface/graphene sheet composites modified electrode showed much higher sensitivity and excellent selectivity in its catalytic performance compared to a CeO2 nanoparticle-modified electrode. The photoluminescence intensity of the CeO2 anchored on graphene is about 30 times higher than that of pristine CeO2 crystals in air. The higher oxygen vacancy concentration in CeO2 is supposed to be an important cause for the higher photoluminescence and better electrochemical catalytic performance observed in the (200)-terminated surface/graphene sheet composites. Such ingenious design of supported well-dispersed catalysts in nanostructured ceria catalysts, synthesized in one step with an exposed high-activity surface, is important for technical applications and theoretical investigations.