Enhanced visible light-driven photocatalytic degradation of crystal violet dye using Cr doped BaFe12O19 prepared via facile micro-emulsion route

The Cr ion doping effect on various properties of Cr doped BaCr_xFe_12-xO₁₉ nanoparticles was investigated, which were synthesized via a facile microemulsion approach and properties were studied using XRD, SEM, FTIR, Raman, photoluminescence and UV–visible techniques along with dielectric, optical and ferroelectric properties. The BaCr_xFe_12-xO₁₉ structure was hexagonal involving P63/mmc space group with average crystalline size of 9–18 nm. The NPs exhibited agglomerated platelet heterogeneous morphology. The presence of the Ba-O-Fe functional group was also confirmed by FTIR analysis. The PL analysis revealed that the doping reduced the recombination rate and charge (e^?-h⁺) separation is facilitated. The coercivity (H_c) and saturation polarization (Ps) increased with doping content and dielectric loss reduces with frequency and dopant concentration. The dopant contents also increased the AC conductivity and the optical bandgap found in 1.75–2.83 (eV) range. The BaCr_xFe_12-xO₁₉ exhibited a significantly higher photocatalytic efficiency versus BaFe₁₂O₁₉, and 91 % CV dye was degraded in 90 min under visible light irradiation. Additionally, a recycling experiment was conducted to confirm the stability of the prepared photocatalyst and Cr doped BaCr_xFe_12-xO₁₉ exhibited excellent stability and reusability. The Cr doping affected the dielectric, optical and ferroelectric properties and based on photocatalytic properties of BaCr_xFe_12-xO₁₉, it has potential applications for the destruction of dyes in wastewater under visible light exposure, which will make the process highly feasible for photocatalytic applications.