Perovskite semiconductor La(Ni0.75W0.25)O3 nanoparticles for visible-light-absorbing photocatalytic material

La(Ni0.75W0.25)O3 perovskite oxide was prepared via the sol–gel Pechini route. The pure crystalline phase was verified via X-ray diffraction measurements and Rietveld structure refinements. Some measurements were applied to characterize the surface of the nanoparticles such as transmission electron microscopy, scanning electron microscope, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, specific surface area, and X-ray photo-electron spectroscopy measurements. The optical measurement confirmed that this perovskite oxide can absorb the visible light presenting low band energy of 2.41 eV. The d–d allowed transitions in Ni2+-O octahedral have great contributions to the narrow band-gap. The Ni2+-containing perovskite was applied as a photocatalyst showing the desirable photodegradation ability for methylene blue solutions under the excitation of visible-light. The photocatalysis activities were discussed in the relationship with its special perovskite-type structure such as the NiO6 color centers and multivalent cation ions etc.