Preparation and Characterization of YMnO3 by Microwave Assisted Process

Using yttrium nitrate (Y(NO3)3·6H2O), manganese acetate (MnC4H6O4·4H2O), citric acid (C6H8O7·H2O) and urea (CH4N2O) as major raw materials, the YMnO3 was prepared by microwave assisted method. The structure and morphology of samples were characterized by thermogravimetric analysis (TG-DTA), X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM) and Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR). The results show that the YMnO3 was successfully prepared by microwave process and calcined from 750°C to 1050°C. When the calcination temperature is 850°C, the grain of YMnO3 has good uniformity and the average grain size of 80-100 nm. Under UV-light irradiation, the photocatalytic activity of YMnO3 was studied for methyl orange (MO) used as simulated sewage. The photocatalytic experiment show that the YMnO3 exhibited excellent photocatalytic activity for degradation methyl orange.