Investigation of optical, electrical and magnetic properties of hematite α-Fe2O3 nanoparticles via sol-gel and co-precipitation method

Abstract

Hematite (α-Fe2O3) nanoparticles were synthesized using co-precipitation and sol–gel methods. X-ray diffraction (XRD) technique was employed to structural properties of the synthesized α-Fe2O3 nanoparticles and SEM(scanning electron microscopy) was used to analyze the morphological structure. The crystallite size is determined Sample-A (33 nm) and Sample-B (29 nm) by Scherer formula, while Volume of unit cell is measured 301.8 x106 pm3 and 301.8 x106 pm3 respectively. The X-ray density is found in the Sample-A 5.27 (g/cm3) and Sample-B 5.26 (g/cm3). The optical band gap energy measured 2.4–2.6 eV, calculated by the Tauc plot with the optical absorption data. The electrical characteristics of the samples were examined by using two probe methods and the possible impact of temperature on the electrical properties of α-Fe2O3 was investigated. Dielectric analysis reveals an inverse relationship between the permittivity of α-Fe2O3 samples and frequency that fulfills the Maxwell Wagner Model. The magnetic parameters were observed Ms = 9.29 emu, 1.72 emu and coercivity Hc = 1404(G) as well as Hc = 1040(G). The observed values of these factors indicate that the materials can be employed in a variety of applications such as catalysis, sensors and water purification.

Keywords

• Co-precipitation
• Sol-gel
• Hematite (α-Fe2O3)
• X-ray diffraction
• Dielectric response
• AC conductivity