<p>Nanohybrids, made up of Bismuth ferrites/Carbon allotropes,
are extensively used in photocatalytic applications nowadays. Our work proposes
a nanohybrid system composed of Bismuth ferrite nanoparticles with
two-dimensional (2D) MXene sheets namely, the BiFeO<sub>3</sub> (BFO)/Ti<sub>3</sub>C<sub>2</sub>
(MXene) nanohybrid for enhanced photocatalytic activity. We have fabricated the
BFO/MXene nanohybrid using simple and low cost double solvent solvothermal method.
The SEM and TEM images show that the
BFO nanoparticles were attached onto the MXene surface and in the inter-layers
of two-dimensional (2D) MXene sheets. The photocatalytic application is tested
for the visible light irradiation which showed the highest efficiency among all
pure-BFO based photocatalysts, i.e. 100% degradation in 42 min for organic dye
(Congo Red) and colorless aqueous pollutant (acetophenone) in 150 min,
respectively. The present BFO-based hybrid system exhibited the large surface
area of 147 m<sup>2</sup>g<sup>-1</sup>measured via Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET)
sorption-desorption technique, and is found to be largest among BFO and its
derivatives. Also, the photoluminescence (PL) spectra indicate large
electron-hole pair generation. Fast and efficient degradation of organic
molecules is supported by both factors; larger surface area and lower electron-hole
recombination rate. The BFO/MXene nanohybrid presented here is a highly
efficient photocatalyst compared to other nanostructures based on pure BiFeO<sub>3</sub>
which makes it a promising candidate for many future applications.</p>
Layer and spontaneous polarizations in perovskite oxides and their interplay in multiferroic bismuth ferrite