Morphological, structural, optical and photocurrent characteristics of Bi(TixMn(1-x))O3 perovskite nanorods grown by hydrothermal synthesis

Abstract

This study focuses on the hydrothermal synthesis of Bi(TixMn(1-x))O3 (x = 0.3–0.9) perovskite nanorods on fluorine-doped tin oxide glass substrates and investigates the influence of Ti4+ on their morphological, structural, optical properties, and photocatalytic behavior. The high-resolution XPS spectra results have proved that Ti has been properly substituted into the Bi(TixMn(1-x))O3 nanorods. The characterization of morphology reveals a decrease in average diameter from 222 to 115 nm as the Ti concentration increases, while the band-gap energy experiences a slight reduction from 3.158 to 3.132 eV. X-ray and Raman spectroscopy analyses of the Bi(TixMn(1-x))O3 nanorods indicate that Ti ions substitute not only Mn3+ but also Bi3+ ions, leading to structural distortions in the crystal lattice. Moreover, the Bi(TixMn(1-x))O3 systems demonstrate enhanced photocurrent densities at 1.5 V potential, ranging from 3.19 to 5.54 mA/cm2, as the Ti concentration increases. This enhancement can be attributed to the combined effects of increased surface area, accelerating electron transfer at the interface of the electrode, and decreased optical band-gap energy. It is anticipated that this novel system will pave the way for further advancements in the field of photocatalytic water splitting and solar energy conversion applications.