Investigation of Structural, Optical, and Magnetic Properties of Molybdenum Substituted Bismuth Ferrite Nanoparticles

This study indicates that Mo-doped mesoporous Bismuth ferrite (BiFeO₃) nanoparticles prepared by sol-gel auto-combustion method exhibit a blue-shifted visible-light absorption edge and enhanced room-temperature photoluminescence emission. The increase in molybdenum content steadily modulates ferromagnetic saturation. Mo-doped BiFeO₃ materials display predictable optical and magnetic tuning; making them promising materials for optoelectronic; spintronic; and photocatalytic applications.

Abstract

Bismuth ferrite (BiFeO₃) nanoparticles have achieved significant interest for their unique properties enabling their integration into spintronic and optoelectronic device applications. Pure BiFeO₃ (BFO) and molybdenum doped BiFeO₃ nanoparticles were synthesized by a sol–gel auto-combustion method. All the samples crystallize in rhombohedral perovskite phase (R3c space group), as indicated by X-ray diffraction. Lattice strain is measured using Williamson-Hall analysis and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis revealed porous, aggregated nanostructures. BET surface area measurements verify the mesoporous nature of the samples. UV-visible analysis verifies the increased absorbance in the visible region, which is enhanced by Mo doping. The bandgap of the Mo incorporated samples is observed to be increasing, indicating Moss-Burstein shift and exhibited a noticeable visible-light emission. Room-temperature ferromagnetism was verified by magnetic profiling using vibrating-sample magnetometry (VSM), and the addition of Mo produced an irregular variation in saturation magnetization.

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