Microwave-Hydrothermal Synthesis of Ferric Oxide Doped with Cobalt

Abstract

Ferric oxides have drawn significant interest due to their unique properties, relatively low cost, and due to their potential applications in different fields. In this work, cobalt (Co) doped iron oxide (Fe2O3) powders, with crystalline size 36.97 nm were successfully prepared using a microwave- hydrothermal process for the first time and characterised using different techniques. The morphology of the samples was characterised by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), energy dispersive analysis of X-ray spectroscopy (EDAX), Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy and ultraviolet-visible (UV-Vis) spectroscopy. The images show monodispersed particles with a sharp-edged square morphology. It was found that the average size was about 33.3 nm for Fe2O3 and 36.97 nm for Co-Fe2O3. The Co atomic percentage dopants were approximately 5.73%. The nanosized synthesised materials in this study may find an application in the areas of removal of toxic metal and dyes research.