STRUCTURAL AND MAGNETIC PROPERTIES OF α-Fe2O3/TiO2 NANOCOMPOSITE DERIVED FROM LOGAS NATURAL SAND FOR ENVIRONMENTAL APPLICATION

In this study, the iron oxide/titanium dioxide (α-Fe2O3/TiO2) nanocomposites were prepared by ball milling method using Logas natural sand as raw material. The effects of milling time on the structural, magnetic properties, and chemical composition of the sample were investigated using X-ray diffraction (XRD), vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM), and X ray fluorescence (XRF) spectroscopy, respectively. The XRF measurement results found that the samples were composed of α-Fe2O3, TiO2, SiO2, and others. The crystallinity, magnetic, and composition properties of the samples were modified as milling time increases. The XRD patterns revealed that the samples have a hexagonal structure however, the crystalline size decreases with increasing milling time. The average crystallite size of iron oxide (α-Fe2O3), TiO2, and α-Fe2O3/TiO2 calculated based on Scherrer’s formula was found to be 62.42nm, 37.12nm, and 49.77nm, respectively. The magnetic properties of the sample were studied through hysteresis loops measured using VSM to investigate the effect of milling time on the magnetic properties and found that all samples exhibited ferromagnetic behaviour with saturation magnetization (Ms) and remanence magnetization (Mr) increases to 63 and 74 %, respectively as milling time increases to 200h. The coercivity of the samples increases up to 360.10 Oe for the milling time of 100h and then decreases as the milling time increases. These coercivity values are smaller compared to that of pure hematite (α Fe2O3) nanoparticles. The α-Fe2O3/TiO2 nanocomposites with controlled crystallite size and magnetic properties through different milling times may enable them to be used for environmental applications.