Doping Strontium into Neodymium Manganites Nanocomposites for Enhanced Visible light Driven Photocatalysis

Nd(1−x)Sr(x)MnO(3) nanocomposites perovskites were synthesized using sol gel method at different Sr content x = 0.3, 0.5, 0.7, and 0.9. The photocatalytic performance of the Nd(1−x)Sr(x)MnO(3) nanocomposites for photodegradation of Acridine orange dye (AO) was evaluated over visible light illumination. The single phase of orthorhombic pbnm was formed for x = 0.3 and 0.5; however monoclinic and orthorhombic were observed at x = 0.7 and 0.9. The Energy gap of the Nd(1−x)Sr(x)MnO(3) nanocomposites were estimated for all concentrations to be in the range of 3 ± 0.05 eV. The photocatalytic efficiency of Nd(0.3)Sr(0.7)MnO(3) nanocomposite was 95% of the initial AO dye concentration within 3 h illumination time. The linear increase of the photodegradation rate was found in our samples as a result of the increase of Sr contents from 0.3 to 0.7wt %. Interestingly, the Nd(0.3)Sr(0.7)MnO(3) content has the highest degradation rate of AO which is two times faster than undoped NdMnO(3). This superior behavior in photocatalytic activity of Nd(0.3)Sr(0.7)MnO(3) nanocomposite emerges from large surface area, structural anisotropy, and small particle size. These findings shows convincingly that the Nd(1−x)Sr(x)MnO(3) photocatalysts possess great promise for visible light driven photodegradation of AO dye.