Green Synthesized Canted Ferromagnetic Hematite Iron Oxide Nanoparticles Show Substantial Photocatalytic Activity

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Research from the University of Burdwan has demonstrated the potential of iron oxide nanoparticles in wastewater treatment. The study, published in the Journal of Magnetism and Magnetic Materials, found that these nanoparticles showed substantial photocatalytic activity towards the degradation of methyl orange dyes in the presence of hydrogen peroxide.

Key Takeaways:

  • The research synthesized iron oxide nanoparticles using an environmentally friendly method, utilizing Nyctanthes arbor-tristis L. leaf extract as a precursor.
  • The nanoparticles had sizes ranging from 18 nm to 66 nm, as estimated using electron microscopy.
  • The Rietveld refinement of XRD data indicated that the synthesized particles belonged to the pure hematite (alpha-Fe2O3) rhombohedral lattice symmetry with lattice constants of a = b = 0.49 nm and c = 1.35 nm.
  • Crystallites in the sample had an average size of 40.31 nm.
  • The produced alpha-Fe2O3 NPs were determined to be canted ferromagnetic with a room temperature coercive force of 129.87 x 10-4 T and a Morin temperature of 201 K.
  • The photocatalytic activity of the NPs was examined for the degradation of methyl orange (MO) dyes, showing substantial catalytic activity towards MO degradation in the presence of a small amount of H2O2.
  • The research concluded that the NPs have potential applications in wastewater treatment.
  • The study was peer-reviewed and published in the Journal of Magnetism and Magnetic Materials.

Statistics:

  • The nanoparticles had sizes ranging from 18 nm to 66 nm.
  • The Rietveld refinement of XRD data indicated that the synthesized particles belonged to the pure hematite (alpha-Fe2O3) rhombohedral lattice symmetry with lattice constants of a = b = 0.49 nm and c = 1.35 nm.
  • Crystallites in the sample had an average size of 40.31 nm.
  • The produced alpha-Fe2O3 NPs had a room temperature coercive force of 129.87 x 10-4 T.
  • The Morin temperature of the NPs was 201 K.
  • The photocatalytic activity of the NPs showed a band gap of Eg = 2.43 eV (direct) and Eg = 1.87 eV (indirect).
  • The NPs showed substantial catalytic activity towards MO degradation in the presence of a small amount of H2O2.

Sources:

  • Photocatalytic Activity of Green Synthesized Canted Ferromagnetic Hematite Iron Oxide Nanoparticles for Methyl Orange Removal In Wastewater Remediation. Journal of Magnetism and Magnetic Materials, 2025;628.
  • Journal of Magnetism and Magnetic Materials: www.journals.elsevier.com/journal-of-magnetism-and-magnetic-materials
  • Elsevier: www.elsevier.com
  • University of Burdwan: Department of Physics, Bardhaman 713104, India.