Optical properties of Nd and Cr doped Bismuth Ferrites prepared using solid state synthesis route

Four samples of each Nd doped and (Nd, Cr) co-doped BFO bulk ceramic powder are synthesized using solid state synthesis method. Structural analysis is done using XRD and optical studies are carried out using UV-visible spectroscopy, Photoluminescence and Xray Photoelectron Spectroscopy. Band gap energy value of the samples are calculated from Tauc plot and found that band gap is higher with higher concentration of Nd in doped samples when compared to Nd and Cr co-doped BFO samples, which consists of secondary phases. The influence of dopants in modifying the energy states are analysed using XPS studies along with the analysis of the presence of electronic and chemical states. XPS spectra depict the shift in the binding energies in doped samples as well as secondary peaks in codoped samples that has resulted in modifying band gap energy.