Photocatalytic activity, optical and ferroelectric properties of Bi0.8Nd0.2FeO3 nanoparticles synthesized by sol-gel and hydrothermal methods

In this study, the effects of synthesis method and dopant Neodymium ion on the ferroelectric properties and photocatalytic activity of bismuth ferrite were studied. BiFeO3 (BFO) and Bi0.8Nd0.2FeO3 (BNFO) nanoparticles were prepared through a facile sol-gel combustion (SG) and hydrothermal (HT) methods. The as-prepared products were characterized by X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), Furrier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and transmission electron microscope (TEM) images. Both nanophotocatalysts have similar crystal structures, but the SG products have semi-spherical morphology. On the other hand, HT samples have rod-like morphology. TEM results indicated that the morphology of products was not affected by the doping process. The thermal, optical and magnetic properties of nanoparticles were investigated by thermogravitometry and differential thermal analysis (TG/DTA), UV-vis spectroscopy, and vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM). The ferroelectric properties of BNFO nanoparticles were improved compared to the undoped bismuth ferrite. The photocatalytic activity of as-synthesized nanoparticles was also evaluated by the degradation of methyl orange (MO) under visible light irradiation. The photocatalytic activity of nanoparticles prepared via sol-gel method exhibited a higher photocatalytic activity compared to powders obtained by hydrothermal method. Also substitution of Nd into the BFO structure increased the photocatalytic activity of products.