Visible light responsive perovskite BiFeO₃ pills and rods with dominant {111}_c facets

Constraint of the growth directions or exposed facets of nano-/microstructures has been long regarded as a popular research topic due to the various anisotropic properties of crystals. We report here, for the first time, not only uniform and phase-pure but also tunable perovskite BiFeO ₃ crystallites with different predominantly exposed facets have been successfully synthesized via a facile one-pot hydrothermal approach at 200 °C under the presence of potassium hydroxide and polyethylene glycol. Pills and rods with dominant {111}_c facets and cubes with {100}_c exposed facets have been obtained by adjusting the alkaline conditions of the precursor solution. Furthermore, due to the distinct dominant facets of BiFeO₃ crystallites, {111}_c dominant pills and rods grant a significant enhanced visible light response, suggesting that the designed structures can give rise to better performance in future photovoltaic and photocatalytic applications of BiFeO₃.(Figure Presented) © 2011 American Chemical Society.