Green Synthesis and Applications of Cerium Oxide Nanoparticles

Cerium oxide nanoparticles, commonly termed nanoceria, have emerged as versatile materials owing to their unique redox chemistry and high surface‐to‐volume ratio. Green synthesis approaches harness eco-friendly reagents—biomolecules extracted from plants, fungi or marine organisms—or benign physical media such as supercritical fluids to reduce and stabilise cerium precursors. These routes minimise harmful by-products and often yield nanoceria with controlled size, morphology and surface functionality. The reversible Ce3+/Ce4+ redox cycle underpins antioxidant and pro-oxidant behaviour, enabling applications in biomedicine (antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, wound healing and anticancer therapies), environmental remediation (photocatalytic degradation of organic pollutants) and energy technologies (catalytic converters, fuel cells). Surface‐adsorbed biomolecules can enhance biocompatibility while imparting targeting or sensing capabilities. Worldwide interest in green-fabricated nanoceria reflects its potential to reconcile high performance with sustainability, offering a platform for next-generation catalysts, therapeutic agents and environmental catalysts without reliance on harsh chemical reagents.

Research from Nature Portfolio

Recent studies have demonstrated the one-pot biosynthesis of nanoceria using marine oyster extract as both reducing and capping agent. The process yields predominantly spherical CeO2 nanoparticles of around 10–15 nm in diameter, exhibiting a pure fluorite phase and an optical band gap near 4.7 eV. These biogenic nanoparticles display exceptional photocatalytic activity under visible light, degrading methylene blue dye with up to 99 percent efficiency, and crucially show no cytotoxic effects on normal mammalian cells. This work highlights a cost-effective, scalable route to biocompatible nanoceria with dual functionality in environmental cleanup and safe biomedical application.

Green Synthesis and Applications of Cerium Oxide Nanoparticles publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in green synthesis and applications of cerium oxide nanoparticles across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Green synthesis: The fabrication of nanoparticles using environmentally benign reagents or processes that minimise toxic by-products.

Redox cycling: The reversible conversion between Ce3+ and Ce4+ oxidation states at the nanoparticle surface, enabling antioxidant or pro-oxidant activities.

Reactive oxygen species (ROS): Chemically reactive molecules derived from oxygen that can damage cellular components or degrade pollutants.

Photocatalysis: Acceleration of a chemical reaction by light in the presence of a catalyst, here used for degradation of organic contaminants.

Nanoceria: Nanoscale cerium oxide particles exhibiting distinct physicochemical properties compared with bulk ceria.

References

1. Enhanced sunlight photocatalytic activity and biosafety of marine-driven synthesized cerium oxide nanoparticles. Scientific Reports (2021).
2. Green synthesis of cerium oxide nanoparticles using Citrus nobilis Lour. Peel extract and evaluation of their potential as antibacterial and antioxidant agents. Case Studies in Chemical and Environmental Engineering (2025).
3. Processing antimicrobial CeO2-TiO2 nanocomposite using supercritical carbon dioxide. Journal of CO2 Utilization (2024).
4. Green Synthesis of CeO2 Nanoparticles from the Abelmoschus esculentus Extract: Evaluation of Antioxidant, Anticancer, Antibacterial, and Wound-Healing Activities. Molecules (2021).