Cu-substituted lanthanum ferrite perovskites: Preparation, characterization and photocatalytic activity in gas-solid regime under simulated solar light irradiation

LaFeO3 perovskites, both bare and containing 5-40 mol% of Cu(II) substituting Fe(III), have been prepared by the citrate autocombustion synthesis method and used as heterogeneous photocatalysts for the degradation of 2-propanol in gas-solid regime under simulated solar light irradiation. Bare LaFeO3 resulted inactive, whereas Cu(II) containing perovskites oxidized 2-propanol to propanone, and eventually to CO2 and H2O. The photocatalytic activity of the Cu containing LaFeO3 perovskites increased by increasing the Cu amount up to 10 mol% and hence slightly decreased for higher copper contents. The samples were fully characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Raman and diffuse reflectance (DRS) spectroscopies, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and photocurrent measurements. The photocatalytic activity was correlated with compositional, structural and morphological features.