Boosting visible light photocatalytic and antibacterial performance by decoration of silver on magnetic spindle-like bismuth ferrite

Publication date: October 2019Source: Materials Science in Semiconductor Processing, Volume 101Author(s): Zeeshan Haider Jaffari, Sze-Mun Lam, Jin-Chung Sin, Honghu ZengAbstractVisible light-activated Ag-doped spindle-like BiFeO3 (Ag-BFO) magnetic nanocomposite using different Ag loadings was synthesized via hydrothermal synthesis methods. The structural, morphological, optical and magnetic properties of as-prepared nanocomposite was analyzed by various characterization techniques. Field emission scanning electron microscopy images revealed the distribution of metallic Ag on the surface of spindle-like BFO with the widths ranging from 30 to 60 nm and the lengths from 200 to 250 nm. The X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy spectra showed that the electronic states of Bi3+, Fe3+ and Ag0 existed in the Ag-BFO nanocomposite. UV–Vis diffuse reflectance spectra showed a red-shift on the light absorption edges after the loading of metallic Ag. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy studies confirmed the presence of metallic Ag and Fe−O bond of FeO6 octahedral perovskite structure. The photocatalytic results presented that the Ag-BFO nanocomposite exhibited boosted visible light photoactivity on the degradation of malachite green (MG) dye. Especially, the 3 wt% Ag-BFO nanocomposite displayed excellent photoactivity than that of the pure BFO. The boosted photoactivity of Ag-BFO nanocomposite can be credited to the high electron-hole pairs separation efficiency and hydroxyl (•...
Source: Materials Science in Semiconductor Processing - Category: Materials Science Source Type: research