Photocatalytic and antibacterial performance of iron oxide nanoparticles formed by the combustion method

The present study deals with the synthesis, characterization, and testing of the antimicrobial and photocatalytic activities of hematite ore type iron oxide (alpha-Fe2O3) nanoparticles (NPs) formed by the combustion method that makes use of urea as a fuel. The physicochemical analysis of the formed alpha-Fe2O3 NPs indicated that the particles are having a rhombohedral structure with an average crystalline size of 30 nm as provided by the powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), while the scanning electron microscope (SEM) confirmed for the spherical shape, vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM) for the diamagnetic nature, and the energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) (elemental analysis) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) (nature of bonding) for the successful formation of the iron oxide. The tests of Rhodamine B (RhB) dye degradation confirmed the potential photocatalytic activity of alpha-Fe2O3 NPs, and also, the efficacy against both gram-positive (Staphylococcus aureus) and gram-negative (Escherichia coli) bacterial strains have supported the strong antibacterial activity of the synthesized alpha-Fe2O3 NPs.