Synthesis of BiFeO3 nanostructures via microwave-assisted combustion method and photocatalytic study of it for photoderadation of methyl orange

Rabbani, Mahboubeh; Rahimi, Rahmatollah; Abbasi, Ehsan

Synthesis of BiFeO3 nanostructures via microwave-assisted combustion method and photocatalytic study of it for photoderadation of methyl orange

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

Mahboubeh Rabbani ¹

Rahmatollah rahimi ²

Ehsan Abbasi ³

¹ Department of Chemistry - IUST

² Department of Chemistry, IUST

³ Schoole of New Technologies-Iran University of Science & Technology

Abstract

Recently, the degradation of organic pollutants using novel semiconductors with strong absorbance for broad ranged visible lights has generated broad interest of photocatalysis. In the last few years, perovskite-type bismuth ferrite (BiFeO3, BFO) has received a lot of attention. BiFeO3 is one of the rare well-known multiferroic compounds with a rhombohedrally distorted perovskite structure of space group R3c that exhibits ferroelectric and antiferromagnetic properties at room temperature. The narrow band gap and high chemical stability of BiFeO3 make it an effective photocatalyst in the visible light region during the photocatalytic process. BiFeO3 nanopowder was synthesized via a microwave-assisted combustion method by using acetic acid as fuel, for the first time. The structural characterization showed that BiFeO3 was almost pure perovskite type. A ferromagnetic hysteresis loop with a saturation magnetization (MS) of 0.66 emu/g has been observed at room temperature in the sample. The small band gap (=2.08 eV) of prepared BiFeO3 indicates a possibility of utilizing much visible light for photocatalysis. Photocatalytic test for degradation of methyl orange dye indicated that BiFeO3 exhibited high photocatalytic activity.

Keywords

کلیدواژه‌ها [English] BiFeO3

Magnetic property, Gap band

photocatalyst

LED lamp