Photocatalytic Activity of Bismuth Ferrite Nanoparticles Synthesized via Sol-Gel Route

Nanosized, magnetically separable bismuth ferrite (BFO) nanoparticles, pertaining a crystallite size in the range of 14-15 nm were prepared via facile sol-gel technique. The product was characterized by scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy. The product was explored for the photocatalytic mineralization of rhodamine B (RB) dye in aqueous medium. The effect of different investigational parameters such as amount of photocatalyst, initial dye concentration and irradiation time on the photocatalytic degradation of RB was studied. The results reveal that the catalyst shows good degrading ability under normal pH and visible light conditions. BFO nanoparticles demonstrated a strong absorption ability in the visible-light region, which lead to efficient photocatalytic degradation of RB dye The reaction system was heterogeneous in nature in which the catalyst can be separated by a normal magnet.