Characterization of structural and spectroscopic properties of ZnO/Fe₂O₃ nanocomposites

Abstract

Powder nanoparticles of ZnO/Fe2O3 composites with varying concentrations of precessour have been synthesized with the help of the co-precipitation method followed by annealing and milling the composite at 700 °C. Then, the obtained powder composites were characterized by X-ray diffraction, Fourier Transformation Infrared spectroscopy, Field Emission Scanning electron microscopy with EDX, Raman spectroscopy, UV–visible absorption spectroscopy, and Photolumnisences. The powder X-ray diffraction results show the formation of the well-crystalline phase of ZnO/Fe2O3. For the further study of the structural analysis, we have done the Rietveld refinement of the XRD data. Williams-hall plot was used to calculate the lattice strain of the composites. Crystalline size, dislocation density, and Rietveld parameters were also calculated using the XRD and Rietveld refinement methods. FESEM study revealed that with an increase in the concentration of Fe2O3, the shape of the composite changes from spherical to nanosheets via nanorods. The absorption peaks and vibration band obtained at zftir and RAMAN spectra show the formation of the ZnO/Fe2O3. The UV–visible absorption spectroscopy shows the maximum absorption peak in the 200–400 nm range. The successfully synthesized nanocomposites ZnO/Fe2O3 indicate that it can be a potential candidate for organic pollutant degradation.