Solution Combustion Synthesis, Characterization and Photocatalytic Activity of α-Fe_2O_3 Nanopowder

The paper describes the synthesis of α-fe_2o_3 nanopowder solution combustion synthesis. the nanopowder was characterized by powder x-ray diffraction (pxrd), fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ftir), scanning electron microscopy (sem) and band gap energy measurements. the nanopowder exhibited the hexagonal phase of α-fe_2o_3 as indicated by the pxrd pattern. the nanopowder was used photocatalyst for the removal of the dye acid orange 7 (ao 7) from its aqueous solution. the effect of various factors such as initial dye concentration, dosage of the photocatalyst and irradiation time on the rate of photocatalysis was also studied. it was found that the nanopowder exhibited good photocatalytic activity for the removal ao 7 from its aqueous solution.