Abstract
Nanostructured iron (III) oxide (α-Fe2O3) was synthesized using Fe(NO3)3, PEG and different bases (NaOH and NH4OH) as precursors via hydrothermal microwave method. Several experimental techniques were employed to formulate an optic-structural model. The results proved the efficient synthesis of α-Fe2O3 and demonstrated that the material’s behavior could be tuned using different conditions in the reaction. Ultra fast synthesis (1 min) of α-Fe2O3 was obtained when NH4OH was used as the alkalinizing agent. Evaluating the short- and long-range order before and after microwave heating was possible. PEG and the alkalinizing agent fundamentally influenced the material morphology; three different particle shapes were observed: hexagons (NaOH with PEG), rods (NaOH without PEG) and spheres (NH4OH with PEG).
Keywords: α-Fe2O3, ammonia, hematite, field emission scanning electronic microscopy, infrared spectroscopy, iron (III) oxide, microwave-assisted hydrothermal methods, morphology, PEG, sodium hydroxide, Raman spectroscopy, UV-Vis spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction
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