Preparation of nanocrystalline BiFeO3 via a simple and novel method and its kinetics of crystallization

The precursor of nanocrystalline BiFeO₃ was obtained by solid-state reaction at low heat using Bi(NO₃)₃·5H₂O, FeSO₄·7H₂O, and Na₂CO₃·10H₂O as raw materials. The nanocrystalline BiFeO₃ was obtained by calcining the precursor. The precursor and its calcined products were characterized by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), Fourier transform-infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM). The data showed that highly crystallization BiFeO₃ with rhombohedral structure (space group R3c (161)) was obtained when the precursor was calcined at 873 K for 2 h. The thermal process of the precursor experienced three steps, which involve the dehydration of adsorption water, hydroxide, and decomposition of carbonates at first, and then crystallization of BiFeO₃, and at last decomposition of BiFeO₃ and formation of orthorhombic Bi₂Fe₄O₉. The mechanism and kinetics of the crystallization process of BiFeO₃ were studied using DSC and XRD techniques, the results show that activation energy of the crystallization process of BiFeO₃ is 126.49 kJ mol⁻¹, and the mechanism of crystallization process of BiFeO₃ is the random nucleation and growth of nuclei reaction.