Photocatalytic activity of BiFe1-xCoxO3 for degradation of methyl orange under UV irradiation

Subject Areas :

Razieh Khoshnood ¹ , Farid sirousi ²

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Received: 2025-02-03 Accepted : 2025-05-27 Published : 2025-05-31

Keywords: bismuth ferrite , photocatalyst, industrial wastewater , methyl orange , sol-gel,

Abstract :

BiFeO₃ (bismuth ferrite) nanoparticles are highly significant in the removal or degradation of medical pollutants and industrial wastewater due to their structural and photocatalytic properties. In this study, cobalt doped BiFeO₃ nanoparticles, BiFe_1-xCo_xO₃ (X=0.0, 0.01, 0.03, 0.05) were synthesized using the sol-gel method, and the effects of cobalt substitution on their physical properties were investigated. X-ray diffraction (XRD) spectroscopy was used for the identification and analysis of these materials, while FT-IR spectroscopy confirmed the integrity of the synthesized samples. The catalytic efficiency of BiFe_1-xCo_xO₃ nanoparticles for the photocatalytic degradation of methyl orange, one of the primary polluting dyes in industrial wastewater, was measured using UV/Vis spectroscopy. Various parameters, including dye concentration, pH, irradiation time, and nanoparticle amount, were studied, and optimal conditions were reported. The methyl orange degradation results for a prepared 350 ml dye solution with 0.1 g catalyst and 0.5 ml hydrogen peroxide at pH = 2 over 120 minutes for (X=0.0, 0.01, 0.03, 0.05) BiFe_1-xCo_xO₃ nanoparticles were 60.48%, 20.67%, 48.55%, and 50.42%, respectively

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