Abstract
Maghemite and hematite nanospheres were synthesized by using the Sol-gel technique.
The structural properties of these nanosphere powders were characterized by X-ray diffraction
(XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), field emission scanning electron microscopy
(FESEM),and pore size distribution.Hematite phase shows crystalline structures.The mean particle
size that resulted from BET and XRD analyses were 4.9 nm and 2 nm. The field emission scanning
electron microscopy shows iron-oxide powder is composed of nanosized particles, but in nanosized
aggregates (agglomeration of particles). It can be seen from transmission electron microscopy
that the size of the particles are very small which is in good agreement with the FESEM and the Xray
diffraction. TEM and FESEM confirmed that the iron-oxide powder is composed of sizes from
8 nm to 10 nm. The BET and pore size method were employed for specific surface area
determination.