In situ synthesis of hematite nanoparticles using a low-temperature microemulsion method

A novel microemulsion method is described for the in situ synthesis of α-Fe2O3 nanoparticles with ferrihydrite as a precursor and trace Fe (II) as a catalyst. The final products are characterized by XRD and TEM techniques. The influence of various factors on the transformation from ferrihydrite to hematite nanoparticles is investigated. The effects of ω (ω = nH2O / nCTAB) and weight ratio of CTAB to n-octane on the size of α-Fe2O3 nanoparticles are also studied, respectively.