DyCrxFe(1-x)O3 nanoparticles prepared by wet chemical technique for photocatalytic applications

Abstract DyCrxFe(1-x)O3 (0 ≤ x ≥ 0.4) nanoparticles were prepared using facile chemical route. Structural and morphological evaluation was carried out using X-ray diffraction (XRD) and electron microscopy. Formation of orthorhombic DyFeO3 nanoparticles was confirmed by XRD with crystallite size of 9–10 nm. FESEM images revealed nearly spherical morphology of the fabricated nanoparticles. Energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) technique was employed to confirm the presence of Dy, Cr, Fe and O elements in DyCrxFe(1-x)O3 nanoparticles. FTIR studies illustrated the presence of characteristics stretching and bending vibrations. UV–visible spectroscopy was used to analyze the photocatalytic performance of the DyFeO3 and Cr-substituted DyFeO3 nanoparticles and optical band gap measurements. Photocatalytic activities of the prepared substituted and un-substituted DyFeO3 nanoparticles were conducted using three different dyes. These dyes were (i) methyl orange, (ii) rhodamine B and (iii) methylene blue. Lower band gap and higher photocatalytic performance was observed for Cr-substituted DyFeO3 nanoparticles with methylene blue dye.