Effect of Pr, Mn doping on the structure and properties of BiFeO₃

The powders of Bi_1-xPr_xFeO₃ (x = 0, 0.05, 0.1) and Bi_0.95Pr_0.05Fe_1-yMn_yO₃ (y = 0.05, 0.1) were prepared by hydrothermal method. The effects of Pr and Mn doping content on the structure, morphology, magnetic, and photocatalytic properties of BiFeO₃ (BFO) have been studied. X-ray diffraction (XRD) demonstrated that the compounds are distorted rhombohedral perovskite structure without any other heterogeneity and structural transition. Field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM) reflected that the surface of compounds is a dense, agglomerated sphere, and the morphology changes with the addition of Pr, Mn. Energy spectrum analysis (EDS) shows that the Bi_0.95Pr_0.05Fe_0.95Mn_0.05O₃ sample is mainly composed of 5 elements (Bi, Fe, O, Pr, Mn), and the atomic ratio matches the formula well. Integrating the vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM) into the physical property measurement system (PPMS-9) shows that the introduction of Pr³⁺and Mn²⁺ ions can enhance the magnetic properties of BFO at room temperature. In addition, doping with Pr³⁺ and Mn²⁺ ions can improve the photocatalytic performance of BFO, and with the increase of Mn²⁺ concentration, the photocatalytic performance of BFO first rises and then decreases, and its catalytic performance is getting better and better.