Sol–gel synthesis of TiO2-Fe2O3 systems: Effects of Fe2O3 content and their photocatalytic properties

An inexpensive sol–gel technique to synthesize TiO2-Fe2O3 nanocomposites with improved structural and photochemical properties is introduced. A series of TiO2-Fe2O3 nanocomposites with different Fe2O3 contents were prepared through cheap TiO2 precursor titanium oxychloride (TiOCl2). The physicochemical properties of the samples were examined by XRD, XRF, SEM, EDX, HRTEM, UV–vis DRS, FTIR, TGA and nitrogen gas physisorption studies. The effects of calcination temperatures and Fe2O3 content on the mesostructure and photocatalytic strength of the prepared TiO2-Fe2O3 composites were investigated. Results showed that composites with distinct structural, optical and photochemical properties can be formed by varying Fe2O3 content.