Journal of the American Ceramic Society, Vol.90, No.7, 2113-2117, 2007
Low-temperature preparation and magnetic properties of nanoparticle iron-doped anatase TiO2
Nanoparticle iron (Fe)-doped anatase TiO2 was prepared at a low temperature (100 degrees C) and at room pressure. The product was obtained from a boiling solution of an amorphous TiO2 gel mixed with an iron nitrate solution and stirred for 5 h. An amorphous TiO2 gel was obtained from TiCl3 solution and NH4OH as a precipitating agent stirred at room temperature for 1 day. EDAX results on different selected areas of as-prepared Fe-doped anatase TiO2 revealed a homogeneous composition of 17 at.% Fe. Fe-TiO2 has a superparamagnetic state with a possibility of antiferromagnetism at low temperatures. Fe seems to substitute titanium ions without any evidence of other impurities such as Fe nanoclusters or Fe-based oxides.