Structural and Optical Properties of Bismuth Vanadate

Abstract

The Bismuth vanadate (Bi4-xMxV2O11, M= Gd, La, 0≤x≥0.4) powders were synthesized by solid state reaction method with dopants Gd3+ and La3+ on the bismuth site. To confirm the phases, the samples were investigated by X-ray diffraction. The morphology of Bi4-xMxV2O11 samples were studied by scanning electron microscope (SEM). The average grain size of the samples vary in the range of 3 to 7 µm. The elemental composition of Bi4-xMxV2O11 was measured by energy dispersive X- ray spectroscopy (EDS). The specimens were also studied by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and UV-Visible spectroscopy to identifying types of chemical bonds, unknown materials and measuring the response of a sample to ultraviolet and visible range of electromagnetic radiations. The estimated band gap of La-doped and Gd- doped samples are lies in the range of 1.86 to 3.11eV, and 2.18 to 1.87 eV respectively.