Preparation of BiFeO₃‐Graphene Nanocomposites and Their Enhanced Photocatalytic Activities

Abstract

BiFeO 3 nanoparticles were prepared via a polyacrylamide gel route. BiFeO 3 ‐graphene nanocomposites were fabricated by mixing BiFeO 3 nanoparticles and graphene into absolute ethanol solution followed by thermal drying. The TEM observation demonstrates that the BiFeO 3 nanoparticles are well anchored onto graphene sheets. The photocatalytic activities of the as‐prepared samples were evaluated by the degradation of methyl orange (MO) under simulated sunlight irradiation. Compared to bare BiFeO 3 nanoparticles, BiFeO 3 ‐graphene nanocomposites exhibit enhanced photocatalytic activity. The outstanding photocatalytic performance is mainly ascribed to the efficient transfer of photogenerated electrons from BiFeO 3 to graphene, thus leading to an increased availability of h + for the photocatalytic reaction. In addition, hydroxyl ( · OH) radicals were detected by the photoluminescence technique using terephthalic acid as a probe molecule and are found to be produced on the irradiated BiFeO 3 and BiFeO 3 ‐graphene nanocomposites; in particular, an enhanced yield is observed for the latter.