Multifunctional characterization of multiferroic [Pb(Fe 0.5 Nb 0.5 )O 3 ] 0.5 - [(Ca 0.2 Sr 0.8 )TiO 3 ] 0.5 for storage and photocatalytic applications

[(Ca 0.2 Sr 0.8 )TiO 3 ] substituted [Pb(Fe 0.5 Nb 0.5 )O 3 ] ceramic oxide with the formulation [Pb(Fe 0.5 Nb 0.5 )O 3 ] 0.5 - [(Ca 0.2 Sr 0.8 )TiO 3 ] 0.5 was manufactured by using solid state route. Rietveld analysis revealed that the compound crystallizes in single phase pseudocubic structure. The crystallite size and micro-strain were studied by Scherrer's and Williamson-Hall analyses. The functional group vibrations were analyzed by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) analysis. The structural and optical vibrations were studied by Raman spectroscopy. The surface morphology was analyzed by field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) analysis was conducted to check the purity. The chemical structure and valence of the involved elements were examined by incorporating the X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Electron paramagnetic resonance technique was adopted to interpret the presence oxygen vacancy in the sample. UV–Visible spectroscopy was performed to evaluate energy band gap and Urbach energy. The effect of oxygen vacancies, disorder and electronegativity on band gap were studied. The thermodynamical aspect of photocatalytic property was analyzed by Mulliken's electronegativity approach. The photocatalytic response was studied by accounting for the degradation of methyl orange under visible illumination. Dielectric analysis was carried out to analyze the temperature dependence of dielectric constant and loss tangent revealing the sample's storage applications. The multiferroic property was investigated by means of room temperature P-E loop and M − H hysteresis loop. The observed ferromagnetism was explained by incorporating the most convenient bound magnetic polaron (BMP) model. The article provides detailed information about the paramagnetic octahedral structure of high spin Fe – nuclei through Mössbauer spectroscopy analysis. The current article provides a detailed insight about the synthesis and characterization of a new multiferroic oxide which can be used for photocatalytic device applications. The narrow band gap and weak multiferroicity are the interesting outcomes of this investigation which may provide a new revived single phase multiferroic material for advance electro-optical applications.