The Effect of a 0.5 T Magnetic Field on the Photocatalytic Activity of Recyclable Nd-modified BiFeO 3 Magnetic Catalysts

Nd-modified BiFeO
₃
(Bi
_1-x
Nd
_x
FeO
₃
, BFO:Nd) nanostructures were synthesized via the hydrothermal method in order to determine their applicability for magnetic-field-assisted photocatalytic degradation of toxic dyes. The structural, optical, and magnetic features of the photocatalysts were investigated by powder X-ray diffraction, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, ultraviolet-visible diffuse reflectance spectroscopy, and vibrating sample magnetometry. Magnetically induced acceleration of photocatalysis for the degradation of phenol red solutions under visible light illumination were tested in the absence and presence of a 0.5 T magnetic field. Among all the compositions, the highest degradation rate was at
$\mathrm{x} = 0.10$
where, in the presence of magnetic field, there was almost full degradation of the dye after 2 hours. The recyclability of the photocatalysts was also tested.