Influence of sol-gel parameters in the fabrication of ferromagnetic La2/3Ca1/3MnO3 nanotube arrays

Highly ordered La2/3Ca1/3MnO3 nanotube arrays have been synthesized by porous anodic alumina template assisted sol-gel method. Precursor sol-gels with different molar concentration, viscosity and pH values have been used in the fabrication process in order to find the suitable conditions for the fabrication of such multi component oxides. Diverse characterizations such as scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) were done to verify the structural and morphological behavior of as prepared nanotubes. Magnetic properties were also characterized with respect to temperature and field. Based on the obtained results, a possible nanotubes formation mechanism has been discussed. Depends on the percentage of nanopore filling and the morphology of nanotubes, the sol gel parameters such as molarity, viscosity and pH have been determined as the key factors in the fabrication of nanostructured manganites which can also be applicable to the fabrication process of other multicomponent nanostructured materials. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.