Fabrication, characterization and application of single-phase hollow BiFeO3 nanofibers as an efficient visible-light photocatalyst for degradation of Rhodamine B in wastewater

In this paper, we conducted a study on the structural modulation and photocatalytic performance of single-phase hollow BiFeO 3 nanofibers (SPH–BFO NFs) photocatalysts , investigated the effect of heat treatment temperature on the structure of BFO NFs and the formation mechanism of a hollow structure. The SPH-BFO NFs consist of BiFeO 3 nanocrystals without other heterogeneous phases, with diameters of 400–600 ​nm and extraordinary flexibility, allowing easy separation of the catalyst from the solution. As a result, the SPH-BFO NFs possess outstanding photocatalytic performance and higher photocatalytic efficiency compared with other forms of BiFeO 3 . In addition, the effects of different environments and water quality on RhB degradation were investigated. It was found that the vacancies (h + ) and superoxide radicals (·O 2 − ) as active substances were less environment-dependent, making the SPH-BFO NFs more resistant to environmental interference. The RhB degradation efficiency of BFO NFs was about 99% in 10 ​mg/L of RhB dye solution at pH ​= ​6. This work provides valuable insights into the application of SPH-BFO NFs in photocatalysis and the design of nanofiber photocatalysts.