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Effect of terbium doping in bismuth ferrite nanoparticles for the degradation of organic pollutant under sunlight irradiation

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Abstract

Herein, we have studied the influence of terbium (Tb) doping in bismuth ferrite (BiFeO3/BFO) nanoparticles towards its photocatalytic activity by varying the concentration of Tb such as Bi1−xTbxFeO3, x = 0, 1, 3, 5% through a simple hydrothermal method. The obtained samples are characterized using XRD, TEM, XPS, and UV–Vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy and studied their photocatalytic properties by degrading the rhodamine B (RhB) dye molecules under sunlight illumination. The XRD results confirmed a gradual transformation of crystal structure of BFO from rhombohedral to orthorhombic structure with the increasing concentration of Tb. Dopant induced size reduction in particles is confirmed through TEM and the obtained results revealed the average particles size of 5% Tb dopant BFO around 40 to 80 nm for 5% Tb doped BFO. It indicates that the Tb doping in BFO could considerably affect the photocatalytic activity, and accordingly, the photocatalytic performance is gradually enhanced with increasing Tb content up to an optimum level. To understand the improved mechanism of photocatalytic degradation by Tb-doped BFO, the free radicals trapping tests and photoluminescence are carried out. Based on these outcomes, the improved catalytic activity of Tb-doped BFO is attributed to its reduced bandgap energy from 2.35 to 2.29 eV, improved optical absorption profile, the effective charge separation and transfer of photo-induced charge carriers with increased recombination resistance in the system and accordingly, a possible photocatalytic mechanism of Tb-doped BFO is also proposed.

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Acknowledgements

Authors thankfully acknowledge the Research Supporting Project (Ref. RSP-2021/160) of King Saud University.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biotechnology, Periyar University, Salem, Tamil Nadu, 636011, India

    Gunapriya Pathmanaban

  2. Department of Innovation Systems Engineering, Graduate School of Engineering, Utsunomiya University, Yoto 7-1-2, Utsunomiya, 321-8585, Japan

    Md. Shahadat Hossain

  3. Department of Medical Technology, Institute of Arts and Sciences, Far Eastern University, 1015, Manila, Philippines

    R. R. Macadangdang Jr.

  4. Department of Physics and Nanotechnology, SRM Institute of Science and Technology, Kattankulathur, Chengalpattu, Tamil Nadu, 603203, India

    Vignesh Krishnan

  5. Department of Chemistry, Khalifa University, 127788, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

    Shanavas Shajahan & Mohammad Abu Haija

  6. PG Department of Physics, GTN Arts College, Dindigul, Tamil Nadu, 624 005, India

    R. Marnadu

  7. Department of Chemistry, College of Science, King Saud University, Riyadh, 11451, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

    Fahad A. Alharthi

  8. School of Chemical Engineering, Yeungnam University, Gyeongsan, 38541, Republic of Korea

    Gedi Sreedevi

  9. Department of Physics, Kings Engineering College, Sriperumbudur, Kanchipuram, Tamil Nadu, 602117, India

    Baskaran Palanivel

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  1. Gunapriya Pathmanaban
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Correspondence to Gedi Sreedevi or Baskaran Palanivel.

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Pathmanaban, G., Hossain, M.S., Macadangdang, R.R. et al. Effect of terbium doping in bismuth ferrite nanoparticles for the degradation of organic pollutant under sunlight irradiation. J Mater Sci: Mater Electron 33, 9324–9333 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10854-021-07299-y

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