Synthesis, optical and magnetic properties of α-Fe2O3 nanoparticles with various shapes

The various shapes of alpha-Fe2O3 nanoparticles were successfully prepared via hydrothermal and solvothermal synthesis. The morphologies and crystalline structures were controlled by different catalysts. Compared with others, the spindle alpha-Fe2O3 nanoparticle exhibited excellent optical and magnetic properties. Its optical band gap was at 2.05 eV, calculated by the Tauc plot method. The magnetic hysteresis loops demonstrated that remanent magnetization (M-r) was of 0.0951 emu/g and coercivity (H-c) was of 1645 Oe. Furthermore, the results revealed that the structure of the alpha-Fe2O3 had a remarkable shape-dependent effect on the optical and magnetic properties. (c) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.