Novel Amapá Latex-Mediated Synthesis of Defective Α-Fe2o3 Nanoparticles with Enhanced Ferromagnetism and Sunlight Photocatalytic Activity

Iron oxide (alpha-Fe2O3) nanoparticles were synthesized using the latex of the Parahancornia amapa tree (Amapa ' latex) as an ecofriendly chelating agent. Raman, XRD, and Rietveld refinements analysis confirmed that all samples are single-phase with crystallite size in the range of 64-93 nm. SEM images showed that the volume of Amap ' a-latex used for synthesis plays an important role in forming nanoparticles with different morphologies and particle sizes of about 65-110 nm. PL spectra revealed the presence of ligand-to-metal charge-transfer transition (wide emission band positioned at -400 nm) and coexistence of both Oi and VO defects in the alpha-Fe2O3 nano -particles. The highest remanent magnetization (-0.09 mu B/f.u.) and decolorization (94%) of MB dye were ma-jority driven by the Oi and VO structural defects. A 33% TOC removal around 1h of the degradation process, which further increased to 70% after 6h, confirmed that MB molecules were cleaved and broken. These findings reveal that alpha-Fe2O3 nanoparticles synthesized by our Amap ' a latex-mediated route proved to be efficient for the obtention of alpha-Fe2O3 nanostructures with the potential to be used for the affordable treatment of dye -contaminated wastewater.