Spindly BiFeO₃ Nanoparticles for Photodegradation of Organic Pollutants Under a Compact Fluorescent Lamp

Spindly bismuth ferrite oxide (BiFeO₃, BFO) nanoparticles were fabricated by Bi(NO₃)₃, Fe(NO₃)₃, NaOH and urea solutions at 125° C. The BFO nanoparticles have a spindle-shaped of ∼120 m in length and ∼50 nm in width. Such nanoparticles could be used in the photocatalytic degradation of Malachite Green (MG) dye under irradiation by a 105 W compact fluorescent lamp. They were very stable and could be easily recovered by an applied magnetic field. There was an optimal photocatalyst amount of 1.0 g/L, at which the degradation efficiency of MG was improved to 72.6% under exposure of visible light for 240 min. The active hydroxyl (•OH) radicals formed during the photocatalytic process were tested using a photoluminescence–terephthalic acid (PL–TA) measurement, which were validate to be significantly affected by the photocatalyst amount. Other organic pollutants including phenol, bisphenol A and methylparaben could also be photodecomposed in the presence of similar conditions. These features demonstrated the BFO nanoparticles practical applications in environmental remediation. (paper)