Growth of BiFeO3 Microcylinders under a Hydrothermal Condition

Abstract EN

BiFeO3 microcylinders were synthesized via a hydrothermal condition.

SEM observation reveals that with increasing the hydrothermal reaction time from 6 to 15 h, the microcylinders grow from ~0.7 to ~4.1 μm in height, whereas their diameter remains to be 3.7-3.8 μm with a minor change.

The microcylinders are mainly made up of sphere-like grains of 100–150 nm in size.

A possible growth mechanism of the BiFeO3 microcylinders is proposed.

The photocatalytic activity of the as-prepared BiFeO3 samples was evaluated by the degradation of acid orange 7 under simulated sunlight irradiation, revealing that they possess an appreciable photocatalytic activity.

Magnetic hysteresis loop measurement shows that the BiFeO3 microcylinders exhibit a typical antiferromagnetic behavior at room temperature.