Synthesis and microstructure of single-phase BiFeO3 Powders by Sol-gel Method

The single-phase BiFeO3 powders were prepared by sol-gel method with the starting materials of bismuth nitrate and ferric nitrate, and the effect of the calcined temperature on the phases of BiFeO3 samples was studied. The x-ray diffraction (XRD)showed that the single-phase BiFeO3 powders were obtained with a calcined temperature of 700 ℃. The scanning electron microscope(SEM)analysis indicated that the grain size was around 500 nm in single-phase BiFeO3 powders, and uniform particle size distribution. The FT-IR spectra showed that the BiFeO3 powders began to crystallize at 500℃.