Visible light photocatalytic activity in BiFeO3 glass-ceramics

Abstract

Bismuth Ferrite (BiFeO3) being a visible light active ferroelectric material is a potential candidate for removing industrial dyes from water through the photocatalysis process. To take advantage of the BiFeO3 phase, glass-ceramic with composition Bi2O3–Fe2O3–BaO–B2O3 was fabricated through a conventional melt and quench process. The desired bismuth ferrite (BiFeO3) phase was achieved by optimizing heat treatment temperature (480° C) duration for 2, 4, and 12 h. Each fabricated sample was then utilized for dye cleaning application via photocatalysis process with visible light as an exciting source, where the sample heat-treated at 480 °C for 2 h has shown the maximum Methylene Blue (MB) dye degradation of ∼69% in 300 min. Further, the stability of the fabricated samples was checked through their XRD pattern and SEM micrographs taken before and after the photocatalysis process. At last, MB dye degradation was also calculated through a colorimetric response of MB dye with RGB (red, green, and blue) values obtained by an app of a smartphone.