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The aim of this study, beside the development of an eco-friendly method for the synthesis α -Fe2O3 nanoparticles, is to study the effects of using different precursors on the main properties of the α -Fe2O3 nanoparticles synthesized. In this regards, we have used a biosynthesis method to synthesis two α -Fe2O3 samples from two different salts as precursors, namely, ferric nitrate and ferric chloride. XRD results confirmed a rhombohedral (hexagonal) structure with the space group R 3 ¯ c in all samples. TEM morphology analysis revealed different shapes for the different samples based on different precursors. The ferric nitrate sample showed quasi-spherical shape with average particles size of 70 nm, while ferric chloride showed growth of a nanorod-based structure with average diameter of 50 nm and length of 400 nm. UV study revealed that the ferric nitrate sample exhibits better optical properties than the ferric chloride sample. The energy band gap E g obtained from the optical study is 2.53 eV for the ferric nitrate sample and 2.70 eV for the ferric chloride sample. FT-IR study confirms the phase purity and chemical bonds of the nanoparticles synthesized. Mössbauer spectroscopy investigation revealed the weak ferromagnetic nature of the samples.
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