Synthesis of Ti⁴⁺ doped Ca-BiFO₃ for the enhanced photodegradation of moxifloxacin

In recent years, the continuously increasing demand for wastewater treatment has increased research on perovskite-based materials with narrow band gaps. Titanium-doped calcium bismuth ferrites (CaBiFe_1−x Ti_xO₃x = 0.00-15%) were successfully synthesized using the co-precipitation method. X-Ray diffraction data and SEM micrographs revealed the phase purity and nanocrystalline nature (rhombohedral lattice) of the CaBiFe_1−x Ti_xO₃x = 0.00-15% samples. The energy band gap of the Ca-BiFO₃ nanoparticles was tuned by the substitution of Ti⁴⁺ ions in the range of 2.96-2.1 eV. The Ti⁴⁺ substituted Ca-BiFO₃ nanoparticles exhibited much higher photocatalytic performance for antibiotics (moxifloxacin) under controlled UV-visible light irradiation compared to pristine Ca-BiFO₃ nanoparticles. The high concentration of moxifloxacin in water causes environmental problems, such as antibacterial resistance in bacteria and threats to ecology. The CaBiFe_85%Ti_15%O₃ nanoparticles showed 89.16% moxifloxacin degradation after irradiation for only 60 min. The significant changes in the photocatalytic properties of the sample were due to the aliovalency of Fe³⁺ and Ti⁴⁺, and differences in ionic radii and oxygen vacancies.