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

We report the synthesis of multiferroic BiFeO 3 perovskite nanoparticles using the microwave combustion technique. Phase evolution is investigated by XRD, which confirms that the formation of a secondary α-Bi 2 O 3 phase with a monoclinic structure along with the existing rhombohedral (BiFeO 3 ) 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 BiFeO 3 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 BiFeO 3 perovskite nanoparticles was found 44.86 m 2 /g. The as-fabricated BiFeO 3 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 BiFeO 3 perovskite nanoparticles exhibit high performance in future multifunctional devices is demonstrated by the simultaneous enhancement of catalytic and photocatalytic activities.