Enhanced photocatalytic degradation of LaMnO3/rGO nanocomposites under the irradiation of solar spectrum for methylene blue

This study presents the synthesis of pristine LaMnO₃ (LMO) perovskite nanoparticles (NPs) and LMO/rGO nanocomposites (NCs) incorporating 5, 10, and 20 wt.% of reduced graphene oxide (rGO) through an ultrasonicated sol-gel method. The structural, morphological, and optical properties were determined from X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Raman spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and UV-Vis spectroscopy. The microstructure and crystallite size of NCs were observed as hexagonal perovskite structures in the 23.4 - 20.1 nm range. The specific surface area of LMO NPs and LMO/rGO NCs were observed to be 6.63 m²/g and 21.39 m²/g, respectively. The photocatalytic activity of NCs was estimated to be responsible for methylene blue (MB) degradation under sunlight irradiation. The LMO/rGO10 NC showed the highest photocatalytic degradation with a degradation rate of 0.00927 min^-1 and the highest stability due to increased catalytic active sites. The LMO/rGO NCs hold the potential for the photocatalytic degradation of discharged dyes from textile industries under natural sunlight irradiation.