Hybrid material of α-Fe2O3 nanostructure with reduced graphene oxide: Enhanced dielectric and optical properties in relation to their composition and morphology

Abstract

The enhancement in the optical and dielectric properties in advanced technologies demands the development of novel nanomaterials. The present study discusses the synthesis of iron oxide (α-Fe2O3) using chemical precipitation method and Hummer's modified method for reduced graphene oxide (rGO). A nanocomposite of both α-Fe2O3 and rGO is prepared by using sonication method which provide better interface between the ferromagnetic and ferroelectric materials. XRD and TGA studies were performed to confirm the structural changes and compositional phases in the samples. FT-IR analysis confirms the presence of the various functional groups in addition to phase purity of the samples and stretching vibration bands of Fe-O for α-Fe2O3 NPs. TEM images displays the illustrious dispersion of α-Fe2O3 NPs on the rGO sheet of synthesized NC. UV–Vis investigation reveals that sample has an optical gap of about 2.25 eV and that this value increases with rGO addition. The attributes of dielectric characteristics like dielectric constant (ε′), loss tangent (tan δ), and ac conductivity (σac) are examined at different frequencies. These important electrical and dielectric results obtained for NC with desirable properties make it advanced multifunctional material for electronic devices.