One-pot green synthesis of yttrium and zirconium doped iron oxide nanoparticles using Simarouba Glauca leaf extract

Abstract

In this study, we have employed a green synthesis approach to prepare iron oxide nanoparticles doped with yttrium and zirconium using the extract of freshly plucked Simarouba Glauca (Paradise Tree) leaves. Very low dopant concentration is used to check the feasibility of doping even with very low dopant levels through green synthesis. The synthesized nanoparticles were characterized using techniques such as SEM, SEM-EDAX, HR-TEM, BF-TEM, TEM-EDS, XRD, FT-IR and UV–vis spectroscopy. Iron oxide nanoparticles and yttrium doped nanoparticles exhibited magnetism in the presence of an external magnetic field, and this is further supported by the drift observed in HR-TEM. The SEM-EDAX analyses verified the successful doping of 1.12 % (wt %) yttrium and 3.78 % (wt %) zirconium respectively in the doped nanoparticles. The average particle size of the synthesized nanoparticles falls within 100 nm. The XRD analyses indicate the hematite phase for the iron oxide nanoparticles, which is likely due to the high annealing temperature. This finding is verified through d-spacing calculation using HR-TEM. Yttrium and zirconium doped samples exhibited a variation in the bandgap, based on the Tauc plot obtained from the absorbance data. FTIR spectrum verified the presence of functionalities. Successful doping and changes in their optical and magnetic properties demonstrate their potential in various applications.