Modification of Pseudobrookite Fe2-XMnxTiO5 with Solid State Reaction Method using a Mechanical Milling

Abstract

Modification of pseudobrookite Fe2-xMnxTiO5 with solid state reaction method using a mechanical milling has been synthesized. Raw materials used to prepare these samples were Fe2O3, MnCO3, and TiO2. Fe2O3 and TiO2 powders (ratio of 1:1) were mixed with MnCO3 powder at various composition of x = 0; 0.1; 0.2; 0.3; 0.4; 0.5; and 1, which each composition was added with 50 ml ethanol and then milled for 5 hours through high energy milling, after that sintered at 1000 °C for 5 hours by using box furnace. The phases of Fe2-xMnxTiO5 were measured by using X-ray diffraction (XRD) and then identified by using Match program. The crystal structure was analyzed by using the program of General Structure Analysis System (GSAS). Quality fitting of Rwp and χ2 (chi-squared) are relatively good because based on the curve of normalized error distribution looks just left background and its normal probability plot shows the value of comparable between observation and expectation. The refinement analyses of X-ray diffraction patterns showed that the samples formed single phase for x ≤ 0.3. However, the samples of x > 0.3 were multi-phases. The single phase of sample had composition of pseudobrookite Fe2TiO5 with orthorhombic structure, space group of C m c m (63), the lattice parameters of a = 3.7390 Å, b = 9.7790 Å, and c = 9.9780 Å, α = β = γ = 90°, V = 364.83 Å3, and ρ = 4.360 g.cm-3. Meanwhile, the other phase analysis for the composition of x > 0.3 is bixbyite (FeMnO3). The bixbyite has a cubic structure, under the space group of I a - 3 (206), the lattice parameters of a = b = c = 9.40 Å, α = β = γ = 90°, V = 830.58 Å3, and ρ = 5.078 g.cm-3.