Ce–Co-doped BiFeO 3 multiferroic for optoelectronic and photovoltaic applications

The Ce–Co-doped BiFeO3 multiferroic, Bi1−x Ce x Fe1−x Co x O3 (x = 0.00, 0.01, 0.03, and 0.05), has been prepared by a sol–gel auto-combustion method and analyzed through Raman spectroscopy, photoluminescence, and UV–visible spectroscopy. We have observed an anomalous intensity of the second-order Raman mode at ~ 1260 cm−1 in pure BFO and suppressed intensity in doped samples, which indicates the presence of spin two-phonon coupling in these samples. The photoluminescence spectra show reduction in the intensity of emission with the increasing dopant concentration, which indicates the high charge separation efficiency. A sharp absorption with three charge transfer (C-T) and two d–d transitions are shown by UV–visible spectra in the visible region. The band gap of BiFeO3 (BFO) is decreasing with increasing dopant concentrations and the materials are suitable for photovoltaic applications.