Synthesis and characterization of BiFeO3 for photocatalytic degradation of azo dye

A novel approach is reported to synthesize single phase BiFeO3 via. sol-gel auto combustion method using glycine as fuel. Synthesized powder was subjected to annealing at different temperatures, i.e. 400 °C, 450 °C, 500 °C, 550 °C, and 600°C. Crystal structure of BiFeO3 samples examined by X-ray diffraction indicates that the samples were single-phased with different particle sizes, as particle sizes are temperature dependent and crystallized in rhombohedral structure. As the temperature was increased, the diffraction peak intensity of BiFeO3 in the XRD spectra gradually enhanced and the diffraction peaks became sharper. The optical properties of the resultant BiFeO3 were characterized using UV-Vis spectrophotometer over the range of 350-800 nm. UV-vis spectra of all the samples indicate that optical band gap lies in the visible region in the range of 2.2-2.07 eV at all temperatures. Moreover, photocatalytic properties of the BiFeO3 powders were investigated by the photodegradation of Reactive Black-5 (RB-5).