Hydrothermal synthesis of alpha Fe 2 O 3 nanoparticles capped by Tween-80 (original) (raw)

Surface modified α-Fe 2 O 3 nanoparticles capped by Tween-80 were prepared by the hydrothermal treatment of Fe(NO 3 ) 2 .9H 2 O at 200°C. The spherical nanoparticles possessed good crystallinity with an average crystallite size of 21 nm. The presence of Tween-80 on the surface of α-Fe 2 O 3 was confirmed by FTIR and Mössbauer analysis. The surfactant was effective in controlling the particle shape and restricted the particle growth to a narrow range around 40-60 nm as observed by scanning electron microscopy. The α-Fe 2 O 3 nanoparticles obtained without Tween-80 were irregular in shape with a wide size distribution in the range of 150-300 nm.