Evolution of photocatalytic and dielectric properties of bismuth ferrite nanoparticles with Cr doping

The degradation of dyes in the wastewater from the industrial wastes has been an environment concern with the rapid industrialization of the economy, requiring the need for the development of dye degradation strategies. In the present work, we employed a facile sol–gel method for the synthesis of Cr-doped bismuth ferrite (BFO) nanoparticles. The as-prepared nanoparticles were exploited to degrade the Eosin-Y dye under visible light irradiation. The XRD measurement confirmed the formation of pure phase BiFeO₃ nanoparticles, with average crystallite size varying from 32.13 to 17.38 nm for pristine and 5% Cr-doped BFO samples, respectively. The XPS measurements were performed to ascertained the chemical state of the elements present in the BFO sample. The band gap of BFO was observed to evolve from 2.12 to 2.18 eV with Cr doping, indicating high light absorbing capability particularly within the visible spectrum. SEM and TEM was used to examine the morphological characteristics of the prepared samples. The photocatalytic degradation of the Eosin-Y dye was investigated under visible light with the doped as well as the undoped samples. A highest photodegradation efficiency of 80.6% for the time period of 75 min have been achieved for the 5% Cr-doped BFO samples. This work provides a new insight for the application of Cr-doped BFO nanoparticles for the remediation of industrial wastewater.