Structural characterization of cuboidal α-Fe₂O₃ nanoparticles synthesized by a facile approach

α-Fe₂O₃ nanoparticles were synthesized using Tabebuia aurea leaf extract by a facile approach. The signature peaks for Fe and O in the EDX spectrum verified the formation of Fe₂O₃ nanoparticles. Cuboidal-shaped nanoparticles were observed in the FE-SEM image. In the XRD pattern, it was observed that the peaks belong to α-Fe₂O₃ nanoparticles. These particles were pure and crystalline with an average particle size of 25.69 nm. The signals at 538 and 494 cm⁻¹ in the FTIR image confirmed the formation of hematite nanoparticles. BET analysis showed a comparatively greater surface area (31.03 m²/g) than the commercial α-Fe₂O₃ nanoparticles, and the pores were mesoporous. XPS analysis confirmed the existence of α-Fe₂O₃ by showing the specific oxidation states for iron and oxygen at 710.34 and 529.67 eV, respectively. The saturation magnetization value of 13.97 emu/g confirmed the superparamagnetic nature. The TGA, which determined the thermal stability of the nanoparticles, reported a total weight loss of 12.75%. Hence, the highly crystalline, pure, mesoporous, superparamagnetic α-Fe₂O₃ nanoparticles with high surface area synthesized using T. aurea leaf extract can be potentially applied in diverse fields.