Synthesis of neodymium-doped manganese dioxide via electrodeposition for fast catalysis

•Cathodic electrodeposition of Nd-doped amorphous nanomanganese oxides.•Potentiostatic condition with slow deposition rate to retain the nanostructure.•Very low average particle size of 26.9 nm with homogeneous distribution.•Fast catalytic activity towards degradation of Rhodamine B ∼ 2 s.

Neodymium (Nd) ions were successfully substituted for manganese in the crystal lattice of electrolytic amorphous nanomanganese dioxide (EAMD) for the first time, by cathodic deposition from a basic aqueous solution of KMnO4 at 22 °C. The synthesized nanomaterials are characterized by XRD, SEM, TEM, HRTEM, and XPS. The Nd-doped EAMD (Nd-EAMD) produced at 5.0 V is amorphous with homogeneous size and morphology with an average particle size of 26.9 nm. The percent Nd substitution is about 0.69 at%. The as-prepared nanomaterials increase the rate of transformation of Rhodamine B (Rh B) in solution and proceed via an oxidative mechanism.

Graphical abstractTransmission electron micrographs of Nd-doped electrolytic MnO2 nanoparticles deposited by cathodic electrodeposition process.Figure optionsDownload full-size imageDownload as PowerPoint slide