Decolorization of Reactive Black 5 dye using gel combustion synthesized LaFeO3 nanoparticles

Lanthanum orthoferrite (LaFeO3) nanoparticles was prepared via gel combustion method with fixed reaction temperature at 200°C, but different reaction time of (t) 2 hours (t=2h) and 24 hours (t=24h), respectively. Physicochemical properties' characterization was performed to compare both samples. UV-Vis spectroscopy analysis was done to determine the photocatalytic performance on Reactive Black 5 (RB5) dye. LaFeO3(t=24h) possessed a high crystallinity structure with specific surface area (SSA) of 28.037 m2g-1, while LaFeO3(t=2h) had a mixture of crystalline and amorphous structures with SSA of 40.952 m2g-1. The catalysts’ loading was also varied in a few conditions to elucidate the optimum loading that maximize the dye removal by mean of adsorption-photocatalytic action. Up to 94% of RB5 dye was successfully removed within 6h by LaFeO3(t=2h) samples, and this enhanced synergistic activity of LaFeO3 is promising for the further application of visible light driven photocatalyst in polluted water treatment.