Growth of BiFeOmicrocylinders under a hydrothermal condition

Abstract

BiFeOmicrocylinders were synthesized via a hydrothermal condition. SEM observation reveals that with increasing the hydrothermal reaction time from 6 to 15 h, the microcylinders grow from ∼0.7 to ∼4.1 μm in height, whereas their diameter remains to be 3.7-3.8 μm with a minor change. The microcylinders are mainly made up of sphere-like grains of 100-150 nm in size. A possible growth mechanism of the BiFeOmicrocylinders is proposed. The photocatalytic activity of the as-prepared BiFeOsamples was evaluated by the degradation of acid orange 7 under simulated sunlight irradiation, revealing that they possess an appreciable photocatalytic activity. Magnetic hysteresis loop measurement shows that the BiFeOmicrocylinders exhibit a typical antiferromagnetic behavior at room temperature.