Single Unit-Cell Layered Bi2Fe4O9 Nanosheets: Synthesis, Formation Mechanism, and Anisotropic Thermal Expansion

As an important multiferroic material, pure and low-dimensional phase-stable bismuth ferrite has wide applications. Herein, one-pot hydrothermal method was used to synthesize bismuth ferrite. Almost pure Bi 2 Fe 4 O 9 , BiFeO 3 , and their mixture were successfully obtained by controlling the KOH concentration in the hydrothermal solutions. The as-prepared Bi 2 Fe 4 O 9 products were crystalline with Pbam space group, had nanosheet morphology, and tended to aggregate into nanofloret or random stacking. Each Bi 2 Fe 4 O 9 nanosheet was a single crystal with (001) plane as its exposed surface. Single unit-cell layered Bi 2 Fe 4 O 9 nanosheets had a uniform thickness of 1 nm. The surface energies of various (100), (010), and (001) planes were 3.6–4.0, 5.6–15.1, and 1.7–3.0 J m −2 , respectively, in the Bi 2 Fe 4 O 9 crystal. The formation mechanism and structural model of the as-prepared single unit-cell layered Bi 2 Fe 4 O 9 nanosheets have been given. The growth of Bi 2 Fe 4 O 9 nanosheets was discussed. Thermal analysis showed that the Bi 2 Fe 4 O 9 phase was stable up to 1260 K. The thermal expansion behavior of the Bi 2 Fe 4 O 9 nanosheet was nonlinear. The thermal expansion coefficients of the ultrathin Bi 2 Fe 4 O 9 nanosheets on the a -, b -, c -axes, and on the unit-cell volume V were determined, showing an anisotropic thermal expansion behavior. This study is helpful for the controllable synthesis of ultrathin Bi 2 Fe 4 O 9 nanosheets.