Artemisia Pallens Assisted Synthesis of CeO₂–NiO Nanocomposite for the Removal of Hazardous Rose Bengal Dye and Voltammetric Sensing of Heavy Metals

The use of Artemisia pallens as a green fuel in the combustion method for synthesizing CeO₂–NiO nanocomposites (NCs) demonstrates a sustainable approach to material synthesis. This eco-friendly method not only reduces the environmental impact but also ensures efficient and effective synthesis of the NCs. The synthesized NCs were premeditated by X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectrometry (FT-IR), UV–visible diffuse reflectance spectroscopy, and morphological structure was determined through scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). These NCs exhibit enhanced photocatalytic activity due to the synergistic effect between CeO₂ and NiO, which promotes the generation of reactive oxygen species and accelerates the degradation of organic Rose Bengal (RB) dye by 99% within 3 h after being irradiated with an ultraviolet light source. NCs exhibit higher sensitivity towards the detection of toxic heavy metals such as Cd²⁺ and Pb²⁺.