Enhanced Photocatalytic Degradation of Rhodamine B Dye with Pristine and Fe-Doped Barium Titanate Nanoparticles

Introduction: The elimination of organic dyes from industrial wastewater is vital due to their adverse health and environmental impacts. Rhodamine B, a toxic dye linked to cancer, exemplifies these concerns and has led to regulatory actions in India. Among perovskite family materials, barium titanate (BaTiO3) nanoparticles have demonstrated potential as oxide photocatalysts for degrading organic pollutants via advanced oxidation processes. Objective: This study aims to synthesize and evaluate pristine and iron (Fe)-doped BaTiO₃ nanoparticles for photocatalytic degradation of Rhodamine B. Methods: Pristine and Fe-doped BaTiO3 nanoparticles (1-3 mol% Fe) were synthesized using the sol-gel method. Structural and optical properties were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and UV-visible spectroscopy. Photocatalytic efficiency was assessed using Rhodamine B under UV irradiation. Results: XRD revealed cubic and tetragonal phases with particle sizes ranging from 23 to 29 nm. UV-visible spectroscopy showed a bandgap of 3.23 eV for pristine BaTiO3, which decreased with increasing Fe doping. Photocatalytic results indicated that Fe-doped samples exhibited enhanced degradation compared to pristine BaTiO₃. Performance improved with Fe doping up to 2 mol%, beyond which activity declined, likely due to recombination effects and possible secondary phase formation. Conclusion:: These findings highlight Fe-doped BaTiO3 nanoparticles as promising, ecofriendly photocatalysts for water purification applications.