Rapid synthesis of monodispersed α-Fe2O3 nanoparticles from Fe(NO3)3 solution by microwave irradiation

Monodispersed alpha-Fe2O3 nanoparticles were prepared at 100degrees, 120degrees, and 140degreesC using 0.02, 0.05, and 0.1 M-Fe (NO3)(3) (.) H2O solutions by microwave-hydrothermal (M-H) and conventional-hydrothermal (C-H) reactions. Compared to the formation of monodispersed alpha-Fe2O3 particles using the C-H reaction, the M-H reaction led to increased rate of formation by 3 times at 120degreesC and 5 times at 140degreesC from 0.1 M-Fe (NO3) (3) solutions. alpha-Fe2O3 nanoparticles of 23-25 nm in diameter were obtained from 0.02 M solution at 100degreesC after treatment for 4 h by applying microwaves, which led to the formation of smaller sized particles with a narrow particle size distribution. The coagulation of nano-sized single crystals of 5 to 6 nm in diameter was enhanced by increasing the concentration of Fe (NO3) (3) solutions.