A simple, low-cost CVD route to thin films of BiFeO3 for efficient water photo-oxidation

Savio J. A. Moniz; Raul Quesada-Cabrera; Christopher S. Blackman; Junwang Tang; Paul Southern; Paul M. Weaver; Claire J. Carmalt

doi:10.1039/C3TA14824F

A simple, low-cost CVD route to thin films of BiFeO₃ for efficient water photo-oxidation†

Savio J. A. Moniz,^ab Raul Quesada-Cabrera,^a Christopher S. Blackman,*^a Junwang Tang,^b Paul Southern,^c Paul M. Weaver^d and Claire J. Carmalt^a

Author affiliations

* Corresponding authors

^a Materials Chemistry Centre, Department of Chemistry, University College London, 20 Gordon Street, London, WC1H 0AJ, UK
E-mail: c.blackman@ucl.ac.uk

^b Department of Chemical Engineering, University College London, Torrington Place, London, WC1E 7JE, UK

^c UCL Healthcare Biomagnetics Laboratories, 21 Albemarle Street, London, W1S 4BS, UK

^d National Physical Laboratory, Hampton Road, Teddington, Middlesex, TW11 0LW, UK

Abstract

A novel method for preparation of BiFeO₃ films via a simple solution-based CVD method is reported using for the first time a single-source heterobimetallic precursor [CpFe(CO)₂BiCl₂]. BiFeO₃ films display ferroelectric and ferromagnetic ordering at room temperature and possess direct band-gaps between 2.0 and 2.2 eV. Photocatalytic testing for water oxidation revealed high activities under UVA (365 nm) and simulated solar irradiation, superior to that exhibited by a commercial standard (Pilkington Activ® TiO₂ film) resulting in an apparent quantum yield of ∼24%.

This article is part of the themed collection: 2014 Journal of Materials Chemistry A Hot Articles

Supplementary files

Article information

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1039/C3TA14824F
Article type: Communication
Submitted: 21 Xim 2013
Accepted: 19 Kax 2013
First published: 20 Kax 2013
This article is Open Access

Download Citation

J. Mater. Chem. A, 2014,2, 2922-2927

Permissions

Request permissions

A simple, low-cost CVD route to thin films of BiFeO₃ for efficient water photo-oxidation

S. J. A. Moniz, R. Quesada-Cabrera, C. S. Blackman, J. Tang, P. Southern, P. M. Weaver and C. J. Carmalt, J. Mater. Chem. A, 2014, 2, 2922 DOI: 10.1039/C3TA14824F

This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported Licence. You can use material from this article in other publications without requesting further permissions from the RSC, provided that the correct acknowledgement is given.

Journal of Materials Chemistry A