Open AccessSol-Gel Synthesis of Multifunctional Bismuth Ferrite Nanostructures: Effect of Heating Conditions on their Photocatalytic Activity
Author(s) -
Manjusha Eledath,
Shalini Vishwanathan,
Maneesh Chandran
Publication year - 2022
Publication title -
iop conference series. materials science and engineering
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1757-899X
pISSN - 1757-8981
DOI - 10.1088/1757-899x/1221/1/012044
Subject(s) - materials science , bismuth ferrite , photocatalysis , annealing (glass) , raman spectroscopy , scanning electron microscope , chemical engineering , band gap , nanostructure , bismuth , diffuse reflectance infrared fourier transform , malachite green , bismuth titanate , sol gel , multiferroics , nanotechnology , optoelectronics , optics , composite material , metallurgy , ferroelectricity , catalysis , chemistry , dielectric , organic chemistry , physics , adsorption , engineering
Bismuth ferrite (BiFeO 3 ) is a multifunctional perovskite material well-known for its lead-free chemistry, multiferroic properties at room temperature, photovoltaic properties, and photocatalytic activity. BiFeO 3 nanostructures were synthesized using sol-gel method by varying annealing temperature and annealing rate. The formation of phase-pure BiFeO 3 was confirmed using X-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy.Using scanning electron microscopy, the size of BiFeO 3 nanostructures was evaluated to be around 100-500 nm depending on the annealing parameters. The bandgap of the synthesized nanostructures was estimated to be 2.18-2.26 eV, with UV diffuse reflectance spectroscopy. The photocatalytic activity was assessed by the degradation of malachite green dye under visible light irradiation and their correlation with heating parameters is discussed in detail.