Tunable Photocatalytic Properties of Au-Decorated BiFeO3 Nanostructures for Dye Photodegradation

This study presents the synthesis and characterization of Au nanoparticle-decorated BiFeO3 (Au-BiFeO3) nanocrystals fabricated by a hydrothermal technique. The key focus is the augmented photocatalytic properties of these nanocrystals for the effective photodegradation of methylene blue (MB), a comm...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inACS applied nano materials Vol. 7; no. 8; pp. 9777 - 9788
Main Authors Wu, Jhen-Yang, Chen, Chun-Yi, Wang, Junan, Jin, Xinyu, Hou, Wending, Kuo, Hsuan-Hung, Chiu, Wan-Ting, Kurioka, Tomoyuki, Sone, Masato, Okamoto, Satoshi, Hsu, Yung-Jung, Chang, Tso-Fu Mark
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published American Chemical Society 26.04.2024
Subjects
Au nanoparticle
BiFeO3
photodegradation
time-resolved photoluminescence spectroscopy
charge transfer
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ISSN2574-0970
2574-0970
DOI10.1021/acsanm.4c01702

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Summary:This study presents the synthesis and characterization of Au nanoparticle-decorated BiFeO3 (Au-BiFeO3) nanocrystals fabricated by a hydrothermal technique. The key focus is the augmented photocatalytic properties of these nanocrystals for the effective photodegradation of methylene blue (MB), a common industrial dye. The magnetic properties of the Au-BiFeO3 merely differ from those of the BiFeO3. The decoration of Au nanoparticles onto the BiFeO3 introduces heterojunction structures that lead to effective charge-carrier separation under illumination. Time-resolved photoluminescence spectroscopy confirms the enhanced charge separation and reduced recombination rate in Au-BiFeO3 nanocrystals. Through meticulous optimization, the photocatalytic performance of these nanocomposites was evaluated under various Au loadings, revealing that 1.0 wt % Au-BiFeO3 exhibits the most superior activity, achieving an impressive 98% degradation efficiency of MB under a 500 W xenon lamp within 120 min. The study also demonstrates the structural integrity and stability of the photocatalyst, with it retaining about 80% of its original activity after four cycles of the 120 min photodegradation process. These findings suggest that the Au-BiFeO3 nanocrystals are promising, efficient, and sustainable photocatalysts for environmental purification and offer insights into designing advanced materials for solar energy utilization.
ISSN:2574-0970
2574-0970
DOI:10.1021/acsanm.4c01702