Hydrothermal synthesis of alpha Fe2O3 nanoparticles capped by Tween-80

Surface modified α-Fe2O3 nanoparticles capped by Tween-80 were prepared by the hydrothermal treatment of Fe(NO3)2.9H2O 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-Fe2O3 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-Fe2O3 nanoparticles obtained without Tween-80 were irregular in shape with a wide size distribution in the range of 150–300 nm.