Breaking News:Photo-accelerated detoxification of Norfloxacin and electrochemical sensing application of engineered deep orange-red emitting samarium doped SrCeO3 nanostructures– What Just Happened

Abstract : The increasing detection of pharmaceutical pollutants, such as paracetamol, in water sources necessitates the development of efficient and multifunctional sensing materials. Perovskite oxides doped with rare-earth elements, featuring customizable defect structures and diverse electronic properties, hold significant promise for applications in both photonics and electrochemistry. This study involved the preparation of Sm3+-doped SrCeO3 nanostructures using a solution combustion process, followed by comprehensive characterization through structural, morphological, optical, and electrochemical methods. PXRD analysis revealed a multiphase perovskite structure, with crystallite sizes varying from 52.4 to 76.2 nm as the Sm3+ content was increased from 0 to 9 mol%. FESEM and TEM analysis revealed the presence of agglomerated, quasi-spherical particles measuring between 68 and 72 nm. DRS spectral analysis revealed direct band gaps near 3.0 eV for all samples. The findings from XPS indicate the presence of both Ce3+ and Ce4+ redox states, alongside the formation of oxygen vacancies, which facilitates enhanced charge transfer. The PL spectra revealed distinct Sm3+ emissions, with the most intense orange-red emission observed at 600 nm for the 3 mol% sample (CIE: x = 0.58, y = 0.39), beyond which the quenching was evidenced. Cyclic voltammetry investigations showed that 9 mol% Sm3+-doped SrCeO3 nanostructures hold enhanced current responsiveness in the presence of Paracetamol, which was verified by 2e-/2h + oxidation. The Sm3+-doped SrCeO3 nanostructures were investigated for their ability to detoxify Norfloxacin, which showed a promising 96.03 % degradation under UV irradiation at 350 mg catalyst dose, which follows pseudo 1st order kinetics with R2 = 0.96. To enhance detoxification, the antibiotic dose (10 ppm) and pH (∼7) were optimized. LC–MS confirmed progressive molecular fragmentation and complete mineralization into benign end products. All findings indicate that Sm3+-doped SrCeO3 is a multifaceted material that enables photoluminescence, photocatalytic antibiotic degradation, and accurate electrochemical drug detection, making it suitable for environmental and sensing applications.