Ferromagnetic and photocatalytic properties of pure BiFeO3 powders synthesized by ethylene glycol assisted hydrothermal method

Abstract

Well-crystallized pure perovskite bismuth ferrite (BiFeO3) powders have been synthesized at the temperature as low as 140 °C by a facile hydrothermal method assisted by ethylene glycol. Their structural, ferromagnetic and photocatalytic properties were investigated. It was found that the ethylene glycol played a key role in the formation of pure BiFeO3 at low-temperature. The BiFeO3 powders present a nearly spherical microstructure with an average diameter of approximately 10 μm, and which exhibit superstructures consisting of large amounts of nanoparticles with the average size of 8–20 nm. An obvious ferromagnetic response is observed for the as-prepared pure BiFeO3 powders, with a saturation magnetization M s of 2.5 μ/g and a coercive field H c of 13.1 Oe at room temperature. Moreover, the BiFeO3 powders exhibit both enhanced visible-light-driven photocatalytic decomposition of rhodamine B and favorable recycling capability.