Solution Combustion Synthesis and Photocatalytic Activity of α-Fe2O3 Nanopowder

Abstract

Nanocrystalline α-Fe2O3 was prepared using solution combustion method with glycine as fuel and ferric nitrate as oxidizer at about 300oC. The α-Fe2O3 nanopowder was characterized by powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The PXRD pattern indicates that the α-Fe2O3 has hexagonal phase with a mean crystallite size of 30–40 nm as calculated from Scherrer's formula. The iron oxide nanopowder was used for the photocatalytic degradation of methyl orange (MO) dye in aqueous solution. The effects of catalyst dosage, H2O2 and irradiation time on the rate of photocatalytic degradation of MO dye were also investigated. The rate of photocatalytic degradation of MO dye was enhanced in the presence of H2O2 and UV light. The experimental results show that for concentration of 20 ppm, maximum decoloration of the dye solution was achieved in just 25 min for a catalyst dosage of 2.5 g per liter of the dye solution.