Facile Synthesis, Characterization, Catalytic and Photocatalytic Activity of Multiferroic BiFeO3 Perovskite Nanoparticles

Abstract

We report the synthesis of multiferroic BiFeO3 perovskite nanoparticles using the microwave combustion technique. Phase evolution is investigated by XRD, which confirms that the formation of a secondary α-Bi2O3 phase with a monoclinic structure along with the existing rhombohedral (BiFeO3) structure. The average crystalline size has been found at 50 nm. The optical band gap was calculated from the Tauc’s plot it has been found 2.18 eV. The appearances of FT-IR spectra revealed bands at 550 and 444 cm−1 were correlated to the rhombohedral stretching modes of BiFeO3 nanostructure. The surface morphology showed the formation of nanosized grains with pores. The magnetization-Field (M-H) hysteresis curves revealed the appearance of ferrimagnetic behavior at room temperature. The BET surface area of BiFeO3 perovskite nanoparticles was found 44.86 m2/g. The as-fabricated BiFeO3 perovskite nanoparticles were investigated for their superior catalytic activity in two applications, which include (i) Glycerol to formic acid oxidation in the liquid phase with a high efficiency of over 98 percent, (ii) Under visible light, the photocatalytic breakdown of rhodamine B achieved maximal efficiency (almost 99 percent). Finally, we concluded that the BiFeO3 perovskite nanoparticles exhibit high performance in future multifunctional devices is demonstrated by the simultaneous enhancement of catalytic and photocatalytic activities.