Hematite (α-Fe2O3) nanoparticles: Synthesis, characterization and optical properties

Abstract

In this paper, we report a simple and convenient method for the synthesis of α‑Fe2O3 nanoparticles via hydrothermal process followed by thermal decomposition using the new iron precursor, which was obtained by mixing of benzoic acid (BA) and Fe(NO3)3∙3H2O in water as solvent. Two products with almost similar morphologies and sizes were obtained by changing the calcination temperature (500 and 600ºC) for 2 h in the air atmosphere. They were named as Fe‑500 and Fe‑600, respectively, and characterized by Fourier transform infrared (FT‑IR) and ultraviolet‑visible (UV‑Vis) spectroscopy, X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), Energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). FT‑IR, UV‑Vis, XRD and EDS results confirm the formation of α‑Fe2O3 phase. Also, TEM images confirm that the size of the products is less than 100 nm.