Doping Mn Induced Modification on the Crystal Structure, Morphology and Optical Properties of Mechanically Activated SrTiO3 Powders

Mechanically activated strontium titanate (SrTiO3) powders with various manganese dioxide (MnO2) doping levels (1.5, 3 and 6 wt%) were prepared by solid state method. Due to the possibility of manganese ion incorporation in SrTiO3 at Ti4+ and/or Sr2+ sites a detailed analysis of the influence of dopants on the microstructure, morphology and optical properties of perovskite oxide was conducted. The investigation showed that manganese was incorporated into the lattice and surface layers of SrTiO3 particles with the presence of manganese segregation and inhomogeneities. Optical measurements indicated a shift of the absorption edge to higher values of wavelengths where the lowest value of the band gap (3.10 eV) was for the longest activation time (120 min) and the highest weight percentage of dopant (6 wt%). In the case of lower concentration (1.5 wt%), there was a significant relative contribution of the substitution of Sr2+ ions by Mn2+ ions, while the substitution of Ti4+ ions by Mn4+ ions dominated samples with an increased concentration.