Nanosized bismuth ferrite powder has a potential application in the production of lead free piezoelectric materials for actuators as well as magnetoelectric sensors. The simple, low-costing and energy-saving hydrothermal method has advantages over the conventional methods. BiFeO3 powders were made using Bi(NO3)35H2O and Fe(NO3)3 9H2O as starting material and 8 M KOH as mineralizer. The particle size and morphology were analyzed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The phase composition of obtained samples was determined by X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis. It revealed that synthesized material crystallize in space group R3c with cell parameters a = b = 5.5780(10) Å and c = 13,863(3) Å. IR and Raman spectroscopy have been performed on the synthesized bismuth ferrite (BFO) powders in order to confirm the formation of pure and well-crystallized BFO nanocrystallites. 57Fe Mössbauer spectroscopy was performed in order to provide information on Fe cation arrangement in the BiFeO3 phase. The magnetic and optical properties of properties of BFO samples were characterized by SQUID magnetometry, and ultraviolet–visible spectroscopy. Temperature dependence of magnetization shows antiferromagnetic-paramagnetic phase transition at TN = 220 K, while below this temperature weak ferromagnetic ordering is detected
