Piezo/pyro/photo‐catalysis activities in Ba <sub>0.85</sub> Ca <sub>0.15</sub> (Ti <sub>0.9</sub> Zr <sub>0.1</sub> ) <sub>1‐x</sub> Fe <sub>x</sub> O <sub>3</sub> ceramics
Moolchand Sharma, Rahul Vaish
Abstract
Abstract Ba 0.85 Ca 0.15 (Ti 0.9 Zr 0.1 ) 1‐x Fe x O 3 (x = 0, 0.5, and 1%) ceramics were studied for piezocatalysis, photocatalysis, and pyrocatalysis using dye degradation in the simulated wastewater. The effect of electrical poling was also performed and found a significant impact of poling on all three catalytic reactions. Fe decreased the optical bandgap of Ba 0.85 Ca 0.15 Ti 0.9 Zr 0.1 O 3 (BCZTO) to the visible region. Bandgap for x = 0, 0.005, and 0.01 was found to be 3.14 eV, 2.75 eV, and 2.61 eV, respectively. Interestingly, visible light photocatalytic activity was observed after Fe inclusion in BCZTO lattice. These compositions have also demonstrated dye degradation under ultrasonication (piezocatalytsis) and during temporal temperature change (pyrocatalysis). Results indicate promising multicatalysis in BCZTO ceramics which can be tuned using Fe substitution.