Metastable Bi₂Zr₂O₇ with Pyrochlore-like Structure: Stabilization, Oxygen Ion Conductivity, and Catalytic Properties

Equimolar concentrations of Zr⁴⁺ and Bi³⁺ were chelated with ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid ligand with the purpose of using it as a precursor to generate pyrochlore-like Bi₂Zr₂O₇. When the X-ray amorphous precursor was calcined at 750 °C for 3 h in air, pyrochlore-like product with superstructure reflections was identified by powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD) along with one minor reflection due to β-Bi₂O₃. This phase was found to be metastable from additional experiments conducted by varying calcination conditions. Structural refinement of PXRD pattern by Le Bail method in Fd3̅ m space group yielded cubic lattice constant of 10.8421(27) Å. Flower-petal-like morphology of the sample was evident in its field-emission scanning electron microscopy image and energy-dispersive X-ray analysis performed at various locations of the specimen confirmed nearly equal concentration of zirconium and bismuth. Six bands at 260, 320, 448, 531, 597, and 828 cm^-1 were observed for this sample in its Raman spectrum and supported our claim of pyrochlore-like structure. Indexation of bright spots present in selected area electron diffraction pattern and observed distances of lattice fringes in high-resolution transmission electron microscopy image were in conformity with the results from PXRD measurements. Absorbance maxima at 312, 372, and 423 nm with a broad tailing stretching up to visible region was noticed in the UV-visible spectrum of this sample. Direct band gap of 2 eV was estimated for this sample from Tauc plot. The oxygen ion conductivity of the sample in the temperature range of 333-773 K was examined, and the highest conductivity at 773 K was 3.071 × 10^-6 S/cm. From activation energy estimation and dielectric loss analysis, thermally activated process related to the mobility of oxygen ion vacancy was found responsible for the observed ionic conductivity. A similar conclusion was reached after careful analysis of dielectric spectroscopy data of this sample. High surface area (125.04 m²/g) and mesoporosity (pore diameter of 3.81 nm) were possessed by this sample, which paved way for studying its catalytic role in the reduction of nitroaromatics and carcinogenic Cr⁶⁺. Cyclability experiments showed the retainment of catalytic activity up to five cycles by the sample without undergoing any structural change.