Solution Combustion Synthesis of BiFeO3 Powders Using CTAB as Fuel

Nearly pure BiFeO 3 powders were synthesized by the solution combustion method using cetyltrimethylammonium bromide as fuel at various fuel to oxidant ratios ( φ ). Phase evolution, morphology, magnetic and optical properties were characterized by thermal analysis, infrared spectroscopy, x-ray diffractometry, electron microscopy, photoluminescence and diffuse reflectance spectroscopy techniques, respectively. An impurity Bi 24 Fe 2 O 39 phase appeared while increasing the fuel content. Magnetization of the as-combusted BiFeO 3 powders increased from 0.5 emu/g to 11.1 emu/g on account of the decrease in particle size and appearance of the impurity phase with the increase of φ values. Visible light absorption and band gap energy depended on the purity and morphology, being tunable by fuel content. About 85% of methylene blue was photodegraded in the presence of the powders prepared by φ = 0.5 under visible light irradiation.