DyCrxFe(1-x)O3 nanoparticles prepared by wet chemical technique for photocatalytic applications

DyCrxFe(1-x)O3 (0 = x = 0.4) nanoparticles were prepared using facile chemical route. Structural and morphological evaluation was carried out using X-ray diffraction (XRD) and electron microscopy. Formation of orthorhombic DyFeO3 nanoparticles was confirmed by XRD with crystallite size of 9-10 nm. FESEM images revealed nearly spherical morphology of the fabricated nanoparticles. Energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) technique was employed to confirm the presence of Dy, Cr, Fe and O elements in DyCrxFe(1-x)O3 nanoparticles. FTIR studies illustrated the presence of characteristics stretching and bending vibrations. UV-visible spectroscopy was used to analyze the photocatalytic performance of the DyFeO3 and Cr-substituted DyFeO3 nanoparticles and optical band gap measurements. Photocatalytic activities of the prepared substituted and un-substituted DyFeO3 nanoparticles were conducted using three different dyes. These dyes were (i) methyl orange, (ii) rhodamine B and (iii) methylene blue. Lower band gap and higher photocatalytic performance was observed for Cr-substituted DyFeO3 nanoparticles with methylene blue dye.