Nano-ilmenite FeTiO3: Synthesis and characterization

In general, ilmenite FeTiO3 is synthesized by solid-state reaction at very high pressure and high temperature. Synthesis of FeTiO3 is not an easy task as the Fe2+ ions are not stable. Therefore, it is really challenging to prepare this material. In this work nano-ilmenite FeTiO3 was synthesized by the sol-gel method. Structural, optical and magnetic characterizations were performed. The bandgap of FeTiO3 was determined to be 2.8 eV showing FeTiO3 as suitable wide bandgap material for technological applications. The FeTiO3 nanoparticles exhibit weak ferromagnetic properties at and below room temperature. The Neel temperature was observed to be around 52 K. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.