Strontium molybdate nanostructures: synthesis of different shapes through a new approach and its photocatalyst application

Abstract

A new method is described for synthesizing flower-like strontium molybdate nanostructures by strontium nitrate hexahydrate and ammonium heptamolybdate tetrahydrate as starting materials and in the presence of amino acids as of capping agents. The effect of different amino acids such as phenylalanine, glycine, and cysteine on the size and morphology of Strontium molybdate (SrMoO₄) nanostructures were investigated. According to the vibrating sample magnetometer, SrMoO₄ nanostructures indicated a ferromagnetic behavior at room temperature. The stages of the formation of SrMoO₄, as well as the characterization of the resulting compounds were done using X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (UV–Vis), and energy dispersive X-ray microanalysis. The products were analyzed by transmission electron microscopy and ultraviolet–visible (UV–Vis) spectroscopy to be, about 30–50 nm in size and E_g = 2.10 eV.