Synthesis of three-dimensional flower-like BiFeO3 with enhanced sonocatalytic performance for the removal of methylene blue.

Synthesis of three-dimensional flower-like BiFeO 3 and its removal of methylene blue (MB) by sonocatalysis. [Display omitted] • Sonocatalytic activity of BiFeO 3 was effectively enhanced by morphology control. • Sonocatalytic degradation ratio of MB reached 94.24 ± 1.98 % using BiFeO 3. • BiFeO 3 showed good application potential in environmental remediation. In this paper, three-dimensional flower-like BiFeO 3 was prepared by hydrothermal method by controlling the synthesis temperature and the concentration of precursor and adjusting the morphology of BiFeO 3. When the synthesis temperature was 433 K and the precursor concentration was 0.20 mol/L, the prepared BiFeO 3 -0.20 had the best sonocatalytic performance. Under the optimal conditions of catalyst dosage of 0.67 g/L, methylene blue (MB) initial concentration of 5 mg/L, MB solution initial pH of 7, ultrasonic power of 500 W and ultrasonic time of 120 min, the maximum removal rate of MB by BiFeO 3 -0.20 as a sonocatalyst could reach 94.24 ± 1.98 %. The prepared BiFeO 3 had excellent reusability and good stability. Moreover, the possible degradation pathways of MB were suggested according to the results of liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry and ion chromatography. The results indicated that morphology control was an effective method to improve the sonocatalytic performance of catalysts. It is hoped that the research results can provide an effective reference for the development of efficient sonocatalysts and the practical application of sonocatalysis technology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]