Investigation of nanostructured Ca0.9Er0.1MnO3 obtained by sucrose nitrate procedure

Abstract

Nano-crystalline Ca0.9Er0.1MnO3 oxide with a perovskite structure was synthesized by the sucrose nitrate procedure (SNP), with the help of sucrose, which plays the role of fuel and complexant. Other chemicals used are calcium nitrate tetrahydrate Ca(NO3)2×4H2O, manganese nitrate hydrate Mn(NO3)2×H2O, erbium nitrate pentahydrate Er(NO3)3×5H2O. Metal nitrates and sucrose were mixed in stoichiometric ratios, in order to obtain a perovskite with a crystalline structure. The resulting Ca0.9Er0.1MnO3 is calcined for 15 minutes in the temperature range from 800°C to 1000°C. Diffraction thermal analysis (DTA), X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and inductively coupled plasma ICP were used to characterize the obtained powder.