Facile synthesis, characterization and BET study of neodymium-doped spinel Mn3O4 nanomaterial with enhanced photocatalytic activity

• Published in: Journal of materials science. Materials in electronics Vol. 28; no. 16; pp. 11654 - 11664
• Main Authors: Hanifehpour, Younes, Mirtamizdoust, Babak, Cheney, Marcos A., Joo, Sang Woo
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York Springer US 01-08-2017; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Catalytic activity; Characterization and Evaluation of Materials; Chemistry and Materials Science; Crystallization; Decoloring; Electron microscopy; Manganese oxides; Materials Science; Materials selection; Nanomaterials; Nanoparticles; Neodymium; Optical and Electronic Materials; Photocatalysis; Scanning electron microscopy; Spectrum analysis; Spinel; Wastewater; Wastewater treatment; X ray photoelectron spectroscopy; X ray powder diffraction; X-rays; Mn3O4; Ag3PO4; Decolorization Efficiency; Methyl Orange; Pure Mn3O4
• ISSN: 0957-4522; 1573-482X
• DOI: 10.1007/s10854-017-6968-5

In this study, bare Mn
3
O
4
and Neodymium (Nd)-doped Mn
3
O
4
were prepared via a facile hydrothermal strategy. These materials were characterized by X-ray powder diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, UV spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and the Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) method. XRD pattern displays that the particles were well crystallized and corresponds to a spinel structure of Mn
3
O
4
. The BET specific surface area and pore volume of mesoporous Mn
3
O
4
greatly exceeds that of Nd-doped Mn
3
O
4
samples. The sonophotocatalytic activity of Nd-doped Mn
3
O
4
nanoparticles was evaluated by monitoring the decolorization of Reactive Red 43 in aqueous solution under sono-photocatalytic process. 4% Nd-doped Mn
3
O
4
nanoparticles showed the highest decolorization efficiency among the different amounts of dopant agent used. The Nd-doped Mn
3
O
4
could be a promising candidate material for high-capacity, low-cost, and environmentally friendly catalyst for wastewater remediation.