Effect of particle morphology on the photocatalytic activity of BiFeO3 microcrystallites

Pure BiFeO3 (BFO) microcrystallites with different morphologies were synthesized by a controlled hydrothermal process. The crystal structure, morphology and photocatalytic property of BFO microcrystallites were investigated. The results and analysis revealed that the OH- concentration intensely affected the morphology, dimension and phase purity of BFO. Furthermore, it was found that the smallest and coarse BFO particles exhibited the lowest photocatalytic efficiency, which suggested that the particle morphology, especially defects intensely influence the photocatalytic activity of BFO, other than the particle size.