Investigation on photocatalytic degradation of crystal violet dye using bismuth ferrite nanoparticles

Gadolinium doped bismuth ferrite (Gd:BFO) nanoparticles were synthesized using an auto combustion method. The structural analysis of the prepared Gd: BFO nanoparticles showed that all samples exhibit a rhombohedral structure. The optical analysis shows the doping of Gd ions reduces the band gap value of BFO from 2.21 eV to 2.17 eV. The presence of Fe-O stretching vibrations is confirmed by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopic analysis. The magnetic hysteresis (MH) analysis shows a weak ferromagnetic nature for the prepared BFO samples and the value of saturation magnetization (M-s) increases upon an increase in the Gd doping concentration. The dielectric analysis shows that the doping of Gd ions in BFO has a notable control in the dielectric loss of the prepared BFO nanoparticles. It was observed the Gd (2 wt%) doped BFO nanoparticles exhibit 84.5% degradation toward crystal violet (CV) dye under visible light irradiation. The formation of trap levels due to Gd 4f state and the role of superoxide anion (O-2(-)) and OHo radicals toward the degradation of CV dye were analyzed.

Automated summary

The successful synthesis of Gadolinium-doped bismuth ferrite nanoparticles resulted in a rhombohedral structure, while optical analysis indicated a reduction in band gap value due to Gd doping. The magnetic analysis confirmed weak ferromagnetic properties in the prepared samples, with saturation magnetization increasing with Gd concentration.