Synthesis of Bi₄Ti₃O₁₂-BaTiO₃ nanocomposite, manifesting high dielectric and unique magnetic nature applicable in heterogeneous photocatalytic activity for degradation of Rhodamine B dye

ABSTRACT

Bi₄Ti₃O₁₂-BaTiO₃ (BTO-BT) nanocomposite, a Aurivillius oxide, which is synthesised by modified solid-state route, and characterised by various techniques like FTIR, XRD, TEM, UV-DRS, Zetasizer Nano-ZS, AFM, BET, SEM-EDX and XPS for the phase identification, microstructural analysis, bandgap determination, elemental analysis and oxidation state of the material. Formation of BTO-BT nanocomposite (orthorhombic and cubic) confirmed by Le-Bail fitting analysis with the help of XRD data. The electrical measurement of the material showed the existence of semiconducting grains and insulating grain boundaries responsible for Maxwell relaxation and a high dielectric constant of value 4.75 × 10³ at 368 K was observed. The Magnetic behaviour studied by SQUID indicates it to be magnetically frustrated materials. The material was found to be applicable in photocatalytic degradation of Rhodamine B under UV light through major reactive species, i.e. OH^. radicals and O₂^.- generated during the photocatalytic reaction proved to be following the first-order kinetics.

KEYWORDS:

• Heterogeneous photocatalyst
• Le-Bail analysis
• dielectric properties
• magnetic behaviour
• dye degradation
• bandgap
• impedance
• mesopores

Acknowledgments

Shruti Singh thanks Head, Department of Chemistry, IIT (BHU) Varanasi, India, for providing financial assistance as Teaching Assistantship. The authors are grateful to the Incharge, CIFC, IIT (BHU) Varanasi, for providing instrumental facilities.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.