Characterization and photocatalytic activity of nanoparticulate GdMnO₃ prepared by sol-gel method

ABSTRACT

The GdMnO₃ was prepared using gadolinium nitrate (III) hexahydrate, manganese acetate and citric acid by a facile sol-gel method. The gel of GdMnO₃ was kept at 100°C for 24 h to get the xerogel. Then, the xerogel was respectively calcined in muffle furnace at 700°C, 800°C, 900°C and 1000°C to make single phase nanoparticulate GdMnO₃. The prepared samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy. The photocatalytic activities of GdMnO₃ were investigated by methyl orange which was used as simulated sewage. The results show that the pure GdMnO₃ can be obtained through calcination at 800°C, and the GdMnO₃ have an average particle size of 80–100 nm. The photocatalytic experiment demonstrates that GdMnO₃ is highly photocatalytic active for the degradation of methyl orange under ultraviolet light irradiation.

KEYWORDS:

• Sol-gel method
• GdMnO3
• photocatalysis
• nanoparticulate

Funding

This work was supported by the 2017 national innovation training program for college students (Project name: Study on the preparation of rare earth manganese oxide RMnO₃ and its visible-light photocatalytic degradation for wastewater).