Synthesis of trimetallic oxide (Fe2O3–MgO–CuO) nanocomposites and evaluation of their structural and optical properties

Abstract

In this paper, tri-phase Fe2O3–MgO–CuO nanocomposites (NCs) and pure CuO, Fe2O3 and MgO nanoparticles (NPs) were prepared using sol–gel technique. The physical properties of the prepared products were examined using SEM, XRD, and UV–visible. The XRD data indicated the formation of pure CuO, Fe2O3 and MgO NPs, as well as nanocomposite formation with Fe2O3 (cubic), MgO (cubic), and CuO (monoclinic). The crystallite size of all the prepared samples was calculated via Scherrer's formula. The energy bandgap of CuO, Fe2O3 and MgO and Fe2O3–MgO–CuO NCs were computed from UV–visible spectroscopy as following 2.13, 2.29, 5.43 and 2.96 eV, respectively. The results showed that Fe2O3–MgO–CuO NCs is an alternative material for a wide range of applications as optoelectronics devices due to their outstanding properties.

Optical, structural and antibacterial properties of phase heterostructured Fe2O3–CuO–CuFe2O4 nanocomposite

“…The specific diffraction peaks and reflection planes for Fe 2 O 3 , CuO, and CuFe 2 O 4 are consistent with JCPDS card No. 39-1346, 45-0937, and 34-0425, respectively 6 , 9 , 19 , 42 .The average crystallite size( ) of the Fe 2 O 3 –CuO–CuFe 2 O 4 nanocomposite was determined using Scherer’s formula (Eq. 1 ) 43 , 44 , with the calculated size recorded in Table 1 .…”

“…Introducing a new phase to a composite material can alter its electronic properties. Metal oxide nanocomposites are prepared using various methods such as hydrothermal synthesis 15 , co-precipitation 16 , self-combustion 17 , ultrasonic-assisted routes 18 , and the sol–gel method 19 , 20 . The sol–gel method, in particular, is preferred for its low cost, speed, and simplicity, requiring no expensive equipment.…”