Synthesis and Characterization of α-Fe2O3 Nanoparticles by Microwave Method

α-Fe2O3 (hematite) is the most stable iron oxide under ambient conditions. This transition metal oxide has been extensively investigated because it has unique electrical and catalytic properties. In this report, a novel microwave method for preparation of α-Fe2O3 nanoparticles has been developed. The process contained two steps: first, precursor were obtained from a mixed solution of 50 ml of 0.3 M Fe (NO3)2.9H2O and 1.2 g of urea under 540 W microwave irradiated for 6 min. Then, the precursors were calcined at 800 °C to fabricate pure α-Fe2O3 (hematite) nanoparticles for 4 h. Nanoparticles were characterized by Fourier transform infrared  (FT-IR) spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and Energy dispersive X-ray spectrometer (EDX) technique. The results indicate that the morphologies of final products significantly depend on the reaction conditions including the reaction time, the initial concentration of precursor, reagent and calcinations temperature.