Fig. 4: Key characterizations of the synthesized LaAlO3.

a–c High-resolution TEM images of LaAlO3 synthesized by sol-gel combustion method. From the TEM images, the morphology shows an irregular shape with the size of several tens of nm. And most of the parts look amorphous, while a crystalline LaAlO3 phase was created at some surface parts. This resulted from the temperature spontaneously attained during the combustion process instantaneously that extends to the range of 2000 °C for short periods. d GIXRD result of LaAlO3 on FTO/glass substrate, e Surface analysis using XPS survey spectra with the inlet table with the elemental concentration (%), and the detailed elemental regions: f La 3d, g Al 2p, and h O 1 s.