Investigation of Structural, Optical, and Magnetic Properties of Molybdenum Substituted Bismuth Ferrite Nanoparticles

Abstract Bismuth ferrite (BiFeO 3 ) nanoparticles have achieved significant interest for their unique properties enabling their integration into spintronic and optoelectronic device applications. Pure BiFeO 3 (BFO) and molybdenum doped BiFeO 3 nanoparticles were synthesized by a sol–gel auto‐combustion method. All the samples crystallize in rhombohedral perovskite phase (R3c space group), as indicated by X‐ray diffraction. Lattice strain is measured using Williamson‐Hall analysis and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis revealed porous, aggregated nanostructures. BET surface area measurements verify the mesoporous nature of the samples. UV‐visible analysis verifies the increased absorbance in the visible region, which is enhanced by Mo doping. The bandgap of the Mo incorporated samples is observed to be increasing, indicating Moss‐Burstein shift and exhibited a noticeable visible‐light emission. Room‐temperature ferromagnetism was verified by magnetic profiling using vibrating‐sample magnetometry (VSM), and the addition of Mo produced an irregular variation in saturation magnetization.