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

Nd_1-xSr_xMnO₃ 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-xSr_xMnO₃ 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-xSr_xMnO₃ nanocomposites were estimated for all concentrations to be in the range of 3 ± 0.05 eV. The photocatalytic efficiency of Nd_0.3Sr_0.7MnO₃ 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_0.3Sr_0.7MnO₃ content has the highest degradation rate of AO which is two times faster than undoped NdMnO₃. This superior behavior in photocatalytic activity of Nd_0.3Sr_0.7MnO₃ nanocomposite emerges from large surface area, structural anisotropy, and small particle size. These findings shows convincingly that the Nd_1-xSr_xMnO₃ photocatalysts possess great promise for visible light driven photodegradation of AO dye.