Tuning the morphology and photocatalytic activity of La0.7Ca0.3MnO3 nanorods via different mineralizer-assisted hydrothermal syntheses

Abstract La0.7Ca0.3MnO3 (LCMO) manganite was successfully synthesized via the hydrothermal method, while nano-sized LCMO with rod-like morphologies was obtained in the presence of two mineralizers namely sodium hydroxide (NaOH) and potassium hydroxide (KOH) in different alkalinity conditions (10, 15 and 20 M). To produce LCMO nanorods, some parameters including filling factor, reaction temperature, and time have been critically adjusted. The structural and morphological properties along with photocatalytic activity were investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, inductively coupled plasma–atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP), Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), Uv-visible spectrophotometry, and photocatalytic degradation of methyl orange. The XRD analysis showed that all the samples crystallize in an orthorhombic (pnma) structure. The FESEM image and FT-IR spectroscopy indicated the formation of the perovskite structure with nanorod-like morphologies. ICP results showed that the compositions of all the samples are close to the stoichiometric ratios of LCMO. Moreover, the photocatalytic activity of synthesized nanostructural samples exhibited suitable values.