Formation of layered Bi₅Ti₃FeO₁₅ perovskite in Bi₂O₃-TiO₂-Fe2O₃ containing system

Structural and thermo-analytical studies were carried out to understand the phase formation kinetics of the single phase Bi₅Ti₃FeO₁₅ (BTFO) nanocrystals in Bi₂O₃-Fe₂O₃-TiO₂, during the polymerized complex (PC) synthesis method. The crystallization of Aurivillius phase Bi₅Ti₃FeO₁₅ layered perovskite was found to be initiated and achieved under the temperature conditions in the range of ~800 to 1050 °C. The activation energy for grain growth of Bi₅Ti₃FeO₁₅ nanocrystals (NCs) was very low in case of NCs formed by PC (2.61 kJ/mol) than that formed by the solid state reaction (SSR) method (10.9 kJ/mol). The energy involved in the phase transformation of Aurivillius phase Bi₅Ti₃FeO₁₅ from Bi₂O₃-Fe₂O₃-TiO₂ system was ~ 69.8 kJ/mol. The formation kinetics study of Bi₅Ti₃FeO₁₅ synthesized by SSR and PC methods would not only render a large impact in the nanocrystalline material development but also in achieving highly efficient visible photocatalysts.