Structural, magnetic, optical and photocatalytic properties of GaFeO3 nanoparticles synthesized via non-aqueous solvent-based sol–gel route

GaFeO3 (GFO) nanoparticles with size ranging from 25–48 nm were synthesized via a non-aqueous solvent-based sol–gel route. The influence of particle size on the structural, magnetic, optical, and photocatalytic properties were investigated. X-ray diffraction and Raman studies have confirmed the orthorhombic structure with the Pc21n space group. The size, morphology, and microstructure of the GFO nanoparticles were investigated by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The elemental composition of the GFO nanoparticles was studied by energy-dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (EDX) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The room-temperature magnetic study of the GFO nanoparticles confirmed an increase in the value of magnetization whereas coercivity decreases. The optical band-gap of the GaFeO3 nanoparticles decreases from 2.65 to 2.16 eV as the size of the nanoparticle increases from 25 to 48 nm. The GaFeO3 nanoparticles have displayed excellent photocatalytic degradation of organic pollutant Rhodamine B (RhB) dye. In the photocatalytic study of RhB by GaFeO3 nanoparticles, 68% degradation was achieved with the 25 nm sample. The cyclic photocatalytic study showed the GFO nanoparticles could be used several times for photocatalytic degradation. The total organic carbon study confirmed the degradation of the RhB dye using GFO nanoparticles. The photocatalytic properties of the GFO nanoparticles can be attributed to large surface areas and the lower rate of the electron–hole pair recombination.