Tuning the Morphology of Bismuth Ferrite Nano- and Microcrystals: From Sheets to Fibers

TLDR: A simple chemical method for the large-scale synthesis of Bi 2Fe 4O 9 nano- and microcrystals with fully tunable morphologies is presented by using a polymeric surfactant and adjusting the hydroxide ion concentration of synthesis solutions.

Abstract: A simple chemical method for the large-scale synthesis of Bi 2Fe 4O 9 nano- and microcrystals with fully tunable morphologies is presented by using a polymeric surfactant and adjusting the hydroxide ion concentration of synthesis solutions. The morphologies of the Bi 2Fe 4O 9 crystals strongly depends on the concentration of hydroxide in the presence of PVA and can be either sheet, plate, cube, rod, or a fiberlike due to the synergistic effect of PVA and OH - ions. Since many oxide materials can be hydrothermally synthesized under alkaline conditions, the method presented here may be extended to the controlled morphogenesis of other functional materials. These Bi 2Fe 4O 9 crystals offer ideal model systems for reliable study of their properties. They can also be used to investigate changes from two-dimensional nanosheets to one-dimensional nanofibers