Photocatalytic and antibacterial performance of iron oxide nanoparticles formed by the combustion method

• Main Authors: Tharani, K., Christy, A. Jegatha, Sagadevan, Suresh, Nehru, L. C.
• Format: Article
• Published: Elsevier 2021
• Subjects: QC Physics; QD Chemistry
• Online Access: http://eprints.um.edu.my/26581/
• Institution: Universiti Malaya

The present study deals with the synthesis, characterization, and testing of the antimicrobial and photocatalytic activities of hematite ore type iron oxide (alpha-Fe2O3) nanoparticles (NPs) formed by the combustion method that makes use of urea as a fuel. The physicochemical analysis of the formed alpha-Fe2O3 NPs indicated that the particles are having a rhombohedral structure with an average crystalline size of 30 nm as provided by the powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), while the scanning electron microscope (SEM) confirmed for the spherical shape, vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM) for the diamagnetic nature, and the energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) (elemental analysis) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) (nature of bonding) for the successful formation of the iron oxide. The tests of Rhodamine B (RhB) dye degradation confirmed the potential photocatalytic activity of alpha-Fe2O3 NPs, and also, the efficacy against both gram-positive (Staphylococcus aureus) and gram-negative (Escherichia coli) bacterial strains have supported the strong antibacterial activity of the synthesized alpha-Fe2O3 NPs.