Investigation of raman spectrum, structural, morphological, and optical features of Fe2O3 and Fe2O3/reduced graphene oxide hybrid nanocomposites

The Hematite (Fe2O3) nanoparticles and Fe2O3-reduced graphene oxide (rGO) nanocomposite were successfully synthesized via co-precipitation method. The rGO was used as passivation layer to improve the optical properties of the Fe2O3. X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, Raman, and Fourier transform-infrared spectroscopy were used to investigate the modification in the Fe2O3 structure in the presence of rGO. UV-visible absorption spectra were investigated, and the optical bandgap was determined. Using different relations like Moss, Rivandra, Anani, and others, the refractive index was calculated depending on the obtained optical bandgap. The refractive index values were compared with the data calculated from Duffy relation and good accordance was found between them. The optical bandgap and electronegativity were found to decrease by the addition of rGO in Fe2O3 matrix, while the refractive index was found to increase. Consequently, the Fe2O3-rGO nanocomposites capacity to control optical properties makes it a perfect contender for a variety of applications.

Automated summary

In this study, Hematite (Fe2O3) nanoparticles and Fe2O3-reduced graphene oxide (rGO) nanocomposite were successfully synthesized using a co-precipitation method. The addition of rGO as a passivation layer improved the optical properties of Fe2O3. Various characterization techniques were used to investigate the modification of Fe2O3 structure in the presence of rGO. The refractive index values calculated from different relations were compared with those obtained from the Duffy relation, showing good agreement. It was found that the addition of rGO decreased the optical bandgap and electronegativity of Fe2O3, while increasing the refractive index. Therefore, the Fe2O3-rGO nanocomposite has the potential to be used in various applications.