Structure, Magnetic and Photochemical Properties of Fe–TiO2 Nanoparticles Stabilized in Al2O3 Matrix

Abstract

Fe–TiO2 nanoparticles with Fe concentration from 0.24 to 5 wt % were synthesized in a Al2O3 matrix through multiple impregnations from organic solutions of Ti n-butoxide and Fe acetylacetonate. Microstructure, morphology and magnetic properties of the composites were studied using X-ray analysis, transmission electron microscopy, energy-dispersive analysis, Mossbauer spectroscopy and magnetic susceptibility. It was shown that the deposition of the solution with low concentration of Ti n-butoxide leads to the formation of mostly extensive Fe–TiO2 films with a small fraction of individual Fe–TiO2 nanoparticles. On the contrary, the increase of Ti n-butoxide concentration results in the formation of a great number of individual Fe–TiO2 nanoparticles on Al2O3. The size of these particles increases from 2–3 nm to 5–8 nm with the increase of Fe content in the samples from 0.24 to 1.0 (wt %). Mossbauer spectroscopy revealed two types of magnetic ions. The first type of paramagnetic Fe3+ demonstrate spin–lattice relaxation properties while another one substitutes Ti4+ in the TiO2 structure thus forming Fe–TiO2 stabilized particles in the matrix. According to the magnetic data antiferromagnetic and ferromagnetic types of exchange spin coupling occur in Fe–TiO2/Al2O3 composites. The increase of Fe concentration in the composites from 1 to 5 wt % results in the narrowing of the TiO2 band gap from 3.2 to 2.7 eV and shifting the absorption edge in visual spectrum from 350–400 to 450–500 nm.