Facile Synthesis of Single Phase Pr-Doped BiFeO3 Nanoparticles via a Sol-Gel Auto Combustion Technique

In this study, the synthesis of single-phase Pr-doped bismuth ferrite, Bi1-xPrxFeO3 (x = 0, 0.05, 0.07 and 0.10) nanoparticles by the sol-gel auto-combustion method, followed by calcination at 400 ºC, is reported. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) techniques were used to characterize the samples. TEM images illustrate the formation nearly spherical nanoparticles in the size range of 30-80 nm. XRD confirmed the formation of single phase and well-crystallized Bi1-xPrxFeO3 nanoparticles at 400 ºC. XRD results show a gradual shift and merge of diffraction peaks on increasing doping concentration of Pr3+ in the BiFeO3 matrix, which suggested a structural phase transition.