A Study on Microstructural and Optical Properties of Green Synthesized Fe3O4/Mesoporous Silica Nanoparticles

Plant-mediated synthesis of nanoparticles has already gained recognition as an efficient, environmentally friendly method due to its non-toxicity, low cost, and simple process. In this study, we have successfully fabricated Fe3O4/mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSN) via green synthesis utilizing Moringa oleifera (MO) extract. X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD), Fourier transforms infrared (FTIR), and ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy (UV-Vis) were used to investigate the microstructural and optical characteristics of the green synthesized Fe3O4/MSN. Fe3O4 and Fe3O4/MSN exhibit crystalline sharp peaks in their XRD patterns, whereas MSN has an amorphous structure. The crystallite size of Fe3O4 nanoparticles decreased after adding the MSN. FTIR spectra verified the existence of the C-C aromatics ring, Fe-O vibration mode of Fe3O4, and Si-O-Si stretching vibration, indicating that the green synthesized Fe3O4/MSN had been successfully obtained. After adding MSN, the UV-Vis absorbance spectra of Fe3O4 changed toward a lower wavelength, indicating that the electronic structure had changed, as revealed by the band gap energy decrease from 2.76 to 2.68 eV. Furthermore, these results proved that the surface modification using MSN on Fe3O4 via green route using MO extract could control their microstructural and optical properties, indicating the green synthesized Fe3O4/MSN had potential for future applications.