Ferromagnetism and enhanced photocatalytic activity in Nd doped BiFeO3 nanopowders

Abstract

Nd Doped BiFeO3 (Bi1−xNdxFeO3, x = 0–0.4) nanopowders with size from 8 to 22 nm were synthesized by a simple soft chemical route using nitrates of bismuth, iron and neodymium. Effects of the Nd dopant on the structural, photocatalytic activity, and ferromagnetic properties of BiFeO3 nanopowders have been studied. The X-ray diffraction and Raman scattering spectra results reflect that the crystal structure of the samples remains stable for x ≤ 0.2, while compositional-driven phase transition from rhombohedral to orthorhombic is observed at x = 0.2. Magnetic hysteresis loops reveal that Bi0.8Nd0.2FeO3 possess the largest remnant magnetization (M r) among the Bi1−xNdxFeO3 samples. It is revealed that the photocatalytic activity to decompose rhodamine B increases in Bi1−xNdxFeO3 as x increases from zero to 0.2. The maximum in photocatalytic activity near the phase boundary of x = 0.2 is explained by an anomalously high dielectric constant that enlarges the width of the space-charge region.