Influence of ⁶⁰Co gamma radiations on the morphological and optical properties of hydrothermally synthesized MoO₃-CeO₂ nanocomposite

The influence of ⁶⁰Co gamma radiations on MoO₃-CeO₂ nanocomposite is investigated in the present study. The molybdenum oxide-cerium oxide (MoO₃-CeO₂) nanocomposite was synthesized by conventional hydrothermal route. Ammonium hepta molybdate and cerium nitrate were used as the precursors. The composite was subjected to high energy gamma irradiation for different doses of 50 kGy, 100 kGy and 150 kGy using ⁶⁰Co gamma irradiation chamber. The morphological studies were carried out using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and ultra violet-visible (UV-Vis) spectroscopy was carried out to study the optical properties before and after irradiation. Morphology of the samples shows that the nanoparticles tend to agglomerate with increasing dose of gamma radiations. The energy bandgap of the MoO₃-CeO₂ nanocomposite was calculated before and after irradiation and found to increase with increasing dose of irradiation. (author)