UV-Vis Spectroscopic Analysis for Band Gap Determination of Cobalt-Doped Magnetite (Fe2.5Co0.5O4) Nanoparticles Derived from Natural Iron Sand
Keywords:
Cobalt-doped magnetite, Natural Iron Sand, Tauc plot, Kubelka-Munk, Urbach energy
Abstract
Doping is an effective approach to altering the electronic and structural properties of a material, thereby influencing its optical and magnetic characteristics. This study successfully synthesized and characterized cobalt-doped magnetite (Fe2.5Co0.5O4) nanoparticles from natural iron sand using the coprecipitation method. The main objective was to evaluate the optical properties of the synthesized material through UV-Vis spectral analysis and to compare the band gap energy values using three approaches: the Tauc method (direct and indirect transitions), the Kubelka–Munk method, and the Urbach energy calculation as an indicator of structural disorder. The characterization results revealed that the incorporation of Co2+ ions into the magnetite structure induced significant changes in the absorption patterns, including the emergence of new absorption peaks and a redshift in wavelength. The obtained band gap values were 3.71 eV (Tauc-direct), 2.18 eV (Tauc-indirect), and 2.33 eV (Kubelka–Munk), confirming the presence of two types of optical transitions. Furthermore, the relatively low Urbach energy (0.07138 eV) indicated that the crystal structure remained well-preserved despite the modifications induced by doping. This study highlights the importance of employing multi-method approaches for reliable optical characterization and demonstrates that Fe2.5Co0.5O4 materials derived from local resources possess promising potential for photocatalytic and optoelectronic applications.
Downloads
Download data is not yet available.
References
[1] J. Langer, J. Quist, and K. Blok, “Review of Renewable Energy Potentials in Indonesia and Their Contribution to a 100% Renewable Electricity System,” Energies, vol. 14, no. 21, Art. no. 21, Jan. 2021, doi: 10.3390/en14217033.
[2] A. Khosla, V. Chaudhary, and H. Zhang, “A paradigm of microbe-mediated green nano-semiconductors and nano-metals,” Nanotechnology, no. Query date: 2025-05-14 09:44:32, 2024, doi: 10.1088/1361-6528/ad9aaf.
[3] L. Liu, X. Yan, Y. Zhang, D. Deng, H. He, and ..., “Mn3O4–CeO2 Hollow Nanospheres for Electrochemical Determination of Hydrogen Peroxide,” ACS Appl. Nano …, no. Query date: 2025-05-14 09:44:32, 2023, doi: 10.1021/acsanm.2c05123.
[4] K. Saputra, S. Sunaryono, S. Hidayat, H. Wisodo, and A. Taufiq, “Investigation of nanostructural and magnetic properties of Mn0.25Fe2.75O4/AC nanoparticles,” Mater. Today Proc., vol. 44, pp. 3350–3354, Jan. 2021, doi: 10.1016/j.matpr.2020.11.646.
[5] K. Saputra, S. Sunaryono, N. V. Difa, S. Hidayat, and A. Taufiq, “The effect of Zn doping on thermal properties and antimicrobial of ZnxFe2-xO3 nanoparticles,” AIP Conf. Proc., vol. 2251, no. 1, p. 040040, Aug. 2020, doi: 10.1063/5.0015679.
[6] A. G. Leonel et al., “Tunable magnetothermal properties of cobalt-doped magnetite–carboxymethylcellulose ferrofluids: smart nanoplatforms for potential magnetic hyperthermia applications in cancer therapy,” Feb. 2021, doi: 10.1039/D0NA00820F.
[7] H. Akbi et al., “Preventing Agglomeration and Enhancing the Energetic Performance of Fine Ammonium Perchlorate through Surface Modification with Hydrophobic Reduced Graphene Oxide,” ChemistrySelect, vol. 9, no. 1, p. e202301795, 2024, doi: 10.1002/slct.202301795.
[8] J. Tauc, “Optical Properties of Amorphous Semiconductors,” in Amorphous and Liquid Semiconductors, J. Tauc, Ed., Boston, MA: Springer US, 1974, pp. 159–220. doi: 10.1007/978-1-4615-8705-7_4.
[9] S. Susilawati, A. Doyan, and S. Hadisaputra, “Analysis Magnetic Mineral Content of Natural Iron Sand in Beach Island Lombok as Basic Materials of Micro Wave Absorbers,” J. Penelit. Pendidik. IPA, vol. 8, no. 4, pp. 1755–1758, Oct. 2022, doi: 10.29303/jppipa.v8i4.2274.
[10] A. Taufiq et al., “Effects of ZnO nanoparticles on the antifungal performance of Fe3O4/ZnO nanocomposites prepared from natural sand,” Adv. Nat. Sci. Nanosci. Nanotechnol., vol. 11, no. 4, p. 045004, Sep. 2020, doi: 10.1088/2043-6254/abb8c6.
[11] A. Taufiq et al., “Nanoscale Clustering and Magnetic Properties of MnxFe3−xO4 Particles Prepared from Natural Magnetite,” J. Supercond. Nov. Magn., vol. 28, no. 9, pp. 2855–2863, Sep. 2015, doi: 10.1007/s10948-015-3111-9.
[12] I. D. Fajariman et al., “Comparative Behavior Of Magnetic Iron Oxide Nanoparticles (Mions) Via Mechanical And Chemical Routes,” Indones. Phys. Rev., vol. 8, no. 1, pp. 181–195, 2025, doi: 10.29303/ipr.v8i1.407.
[13] C. Karthikeyan et al., “Biocidal chitosan-magnesium oxide nanoparticles via a green precipitation process,” J. Hazard. Mater., vol. 411, p. 124884, Jun. 2021, doi: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2020.124884.
[14] L. Yang and B. Kruse, “Revised Kubelka–Munk theory. I. Theory and application,” JOSA A, vol. 21, no. 10, pp. 1933–1941, Oct. 2004, doi: 10.1364/JOSAA.21.001933.
[15] Y. Zheng, R. Gao, Y. Qiu, L. Zheng, Z. Hu, and X. Liu, “Tuning Co2+ Coordination in Cobalt Layered Double Hydroxide Nanosheets via Fe3+ Doping for Efficient Oxygen Evolution,” Inorg. Chem., vol. 60, no. 7, pp. 5252–5263, Apr. 2021, doi: 10.1021/acs.inorgchem.1c00248.
[16] H. Todou Assaouka et al., “Copper and iron co-doping effects on the structure, optical energy band gap, and catalytic behaviour of Co 3 O 4 nanocrystals towards low-temperature total oxidation of toluene,” Energy Adv., vol. 2, no. 6, pp. 829–842, 2023, doi: 10.1039/D3YA00082F.
[17] D. Lachowicz et al., “Enhanced hyperthermic properties of biocompatible zinc ferrite nanoparticles with a charged polysaccharide coating,” J. Mater. Chem. B, vol. 7, no. 18, pp. 2962–2973, May 2019, doi: 10.1039/C9TB00029A.
[18] A. S. Masotti, Á. B. Onófrio, E. N. Conceição, and A. M. Spohr, “Uv–vis spectrophotometric direct transmittance analysis of composite resins,” Dent. Mater., vol. 23, no. 6, pp. 724–730, Jun. 2007, doi: 10.1016/j.dental.2006.06.020.
[19] S. Benramache, Y. Aoun, S. Lakel, B. Benhaoua, and C. Torchi, “The calculate of optical gap energy and urbach energy of Ni1−xCoxO thin films,” Sādhanā, vol. 44, no. 1, p. 26, Jan. 2019, doi: 10.1007/s12046-018-1003-y.
[20] M. Ledinsky et al., “Temperature Dependence of the Urbach Energy in Lead Iodide Perovskites,” J. Phys. Chem. Lett., vol. 10, no. 6, pp. 1368–1373, Mar. 2019, doi: 10.1021/acs.jpclett.9b00138.
[21] M. González-Sánchez, H. Khadhraoui, and ..., “Non-enzymatic glucose sensor using mesoporous carbon screen-printed electrodes modified with cobalt phthalocyanine by phase inversion,” Microchem. …, no. Query date: 2025-05-14 09:44:32, 2024, [Online]. Available: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0026265X24004260
[22] S. Navalón, A. Dhakshinamoorthy, M. Álvaro, B. Ferrer, and H. García, “Metal–Organic Frameworks as Photocatalysts for Solar-Driven Overall Water Splitting,” Chem. Rev., vol. 123, no. 1, pp. 445–490, Jan. 2023, doi: 10.1021/acs.chemrev.2c00460.
[23] P. Makuła, M. Pacia, and W. Macyk, “How To Correctly Determine the Band Gap Energy of Modified Semiconductor Photocatalysts Based on UV–Vis Spectra,” J. Phys. Chem. Lett., vol. 9, no. 23, pp. 6814–6817, Dec. 2018, doi: 10.1021/acs.jpclett.8b02892.
[24] C. Du et al., “In situ synthesis of oxygen-doped carbon quantum dots embedded in MIL-53(Fe) for efficient degradation of oxytetracycline,” Environ. Sci. Pollut. Res., vol. 31, no. 18, pp. 26686–26698, Apr. 2024, doi: 10.1007/s11356-024-32729-9.
[25] P. N. Anantharamaiah and P. A. Joy, “Effect of co-substitution of Co2+ and V5+ for Fe3+ on the magnetic properties of CoFe2O4,” Phys. B Condens. Matter, vol. 554, pp. 107–113, Feb. 2019, doi: 10.1016/j.physb.2018.11.031.
[26] D. Mishra, J. Nanda, S. Parida, K. J. Sankaran, and S. Ghadei, “Effect of Y3+ and Co2+ co-doping on the structural, optical, magnetic and dielectric properties of LaFeO3 nanoparticles,” J. Sol-Gel Sci. Technol., vol. 111, no. 2, pp. 381–394, Aug. 2024, doi: 10.1007/s10971-024-06452-3.
[27] A. H. Monfared, A. Zamanian, I. Sharifi, and M. Mozafari, “Reversible multistimuli-responsive manganese–zinc ferrite/P(NIPAAM-AAc-AAm) core-shell nanoparticles: A programmed ferrogel system,” Mater. Chem. Phys., vol. 226, pp. 44–50, Mar. 2019, doi: 10.1016/j.matchemphys.2019.01.016.
[2] A. Khosla, V. Chaudhary, and H. Zhang, “A paradigm of microbe-mediated green nano-semiconductors and nano-metals,” Nanotechnology, no. Query date: 2025-05-14 09:44:32, 2024, doi: 10.1088/1361-6528/ad9aaf.
[3] L. Liu, X. Yan, Y. Zhang, D. Deng, H. He, and ..., “Mn3O4–CeO2 Hollow Nanospheres for Electrochemical Determination of Hydrogen Peroxide,” ACS Appl. Nano …, no. Query date: 2025-05-14 09:44:32, 2023, doi: 10.1021/acsanm.2c05123.
[4] K. Saputra, S. Sunaryono, S. Hidayat, H. Wisodo, and A. Taufiq, “Investigation of nanostructural and magnetic properties of Mn0.25Fe2.75O4/AC nanoparticles,” Mater. Today Proc., vol. 44, pp. 3350–3354, Jan. 2021, doi: 10.1016/j.matpr.2020.11.646.
[5] K. Saputra, S. Sunaryono, N. V. Difa, S. Hidayat, and A. Taufiq, “The effect of Zn doping on thermal properties and antimicrobial of ZnxFe2-xO3 nanoparticles,” AIP Conf. Proc., vol. 2251, no. 1, p. 040040, Aug. 2020, doi: 10.1063/5.0015679.
[6] A. G. Leonel et al., “Tunable magnetothermal properties of cobalt-doped magnetite–carboxymethylcellulose ferrofluids: smart nanoplatforms for potential magnetic hyperthermia applications in cancer therapy,” Feb. 2021, doi: 10.1039/D0NA00820F.
[7] H. Akbi et al., “Preventing Agglomeration and Enhancing the Energetic Performance of Fine Ammonium Perchlorate through Surface Modification with Hydrophobic Reduced Graphene Oxide,” ChemistrySelect, vol. 9, no. 1, p. e202301795, 2024, doi: 10.1002/slct.202301795.
[8] J. Tauc, “Optical Properties of Amorphous Semiconductors,” in Amorphous and Liquid Semiconductors, J. Tauc, Ed., Boston, MA: Springer US, 1974, pp. 159–220. doi: 10.1007/978-1-4615-8705-7_4.
[9] S. Susilawati, A. Doyan, and S. Hadisaputra, “Analysis Magnetic Mineral Content of Natural Iron Sand in Beach Island Lombok as Basic Materials of Micro Wave Absorbers,” J. Penelit. Pendidik. IPA, vol. 8, no. 4, pp. 1755–1758, Oct. 2022, doi: 10.29303/jppipa.v8i4.2274.
[10] A. Taufiq et al., “Effects of ZnO nanoparticles on the antifungal performance of Fe3O4/ZnO nanocomposites prepared from natural sand,” Adv. Nat. Sci. Nanosci. Nanotechnol., vol. 11, no. 4, p. 045004, Sep. 2020, doi: 10.1088/2043-6254/abb8c6.
[11] A. Taufiq et al., “Nanoscale Clustering and Magnetic Properties of MnxFe3−xO4 Particles Prepared from Natural Magnetite,” J. Supercond. Nov. Magn., vol. 28, no. 9, pp. 2855–2863, Sep. 2015, doi: 10.1007/s10948-015-3111-9.
[12] I. D. Fajariman et al., “Comparative Behavior Of Magnetic Iron Oxide Nanoparticles (Mions) Via Mechanical And Chemical Routes,” Indones. Phys. Rev., vol. 8, no. 1, pp. 181–195, 2025, doi: 10.29303/ipr.v8i1.407.
[13] C. Karthikeyan et al., “Biocidal chitosan-magnesium oxide nanoparticles via a green precipitation process,” J. Hazard. Mater., vol. 411, p. 124884, Jun. 2021, doi: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2020.124884.
[14] L. Yang and B. Kruse, “Revised Kubelka–Munk theory. I. Theory and application,” JOSA A, vol. 21, no. 10, pp. 1933–1941, Oct. 2004, doi: 10.1364/JOSAA.21.001933.
[15] Y. Zheng, R. Gao, Y. Qiu, L. Zheng, Z. Hu, and X. Liu, “Tuning Co2+ Coordination in Cobalt Layered Double Hydroxide Nanosheets via Fe3+ Doping for Efficient Oxygen Evolution,” Inorg. Chem., vol. 60, no. 7, pp. 5252–5263, Apr. 2021, doi: 10.1021/acs.inorgchem.1c00248.
[16] H. Todou Assaouka et al., “Copper and iron co-doping effects on the structure, optical energy band gap, and catalytic behaviour of Co 3 O 4 nanocrystals towards low-temperature total oxidation of toluene,” Energy Adv., vol. 2, no. 6, pp. 829–842, 2023, doi: 10.1039/D3YA00082F.
[17] D. Lachowicz et al., “Enhanced hyperthermic properties of biocompatible zinc ferrite nanoparticles with a charged polysaccharide coating,” J. Mater. Chem. B, vol. 7, no. 18, pp. 2962–2973, May 2019, doi: 10.1039/C9TB00029A.
[18] A. S. Masotti, Á. B. Onófrio, E. N. Conceição, and A. M. Spohr, “Uv–vis spectrophotometric direct transmittance analysis of composite resins,” Dent. Mater., vol. 23, no. 6, pp. 724–730, Jun. 2007, doi: 10.1016/j.dental.2006.06.020.
[19] S. Benramache, Y. Aoun, S. Lakel, B. Benhaoua, and C. Torchi, “The calculate of optical gap energy and urbach energy of Ni1−xCoxO thin films,” Sādhanā, vol. 44, no. 1, p. 26, Jan. 2019, doi: 10.1007/s12046-018-1003-y.
[20] M. Ledinsky et al., “Temperature Dependence of the Urbach Energy in Lead Iodide Perovskites,” J. Phys. Chem. Lett., vol. 10, no. 6, pp. 1368–1373, Mar. 2019, doi: 10.1021/acs.jpclett.9b00138.
[21] M. González-Sánchez, H. Khadhraoui, and ..., “Non-enzymatic glucose sensor using mesoporous carbon screen-printed electrodes modified with cobalt phthalocyanine by phase inversion,” Microchem. …, no. Query date: 2025-05-14 09:44:32, 2024, [Online]. Available: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0026265X24004260
[22] S. Navalón, A. Dhakshinamoorthy, M. Álvaro, B. Ferrer, and H. García, “Metal–Organic Frameworks as Photocatalysts for Solar-Driven Overall Water Splitting,” Chem. Rev., vol. 123, no. 1, pp. 445–490, Jan. 2023, doi: 10.1021/acs.chemrev.2c00460.
[23] P. Makuła, M. Pacia, and W. Macyk, “How To Correctly Determine the Band Gap Energy of Modified Semiconductor Photocatalysts Based on UV–Vis Spectra,” J. Phys. Chem. Lett., vol. 9, no. 23, pp. 6814–6817, Dec. 2018, doi: 10.1021/acs.jpclett.8b02892.
[24] C. Du et al., “In situ synthesis of oxygen-doped carbon quantum dots embedded in MIL-53(Fe) for efficient degradation of oxytetracycline,” Environ. Sci. Pollut. Res., vol. 31, no. 18, pp. 26686–26698, Apr. 2024, doi: 10.1007/s11356-024-32729-9.
[25] P. N. Anantharamaiah and P. A. Joy, “Effect of co-substitution of Co2+ and V5+ for Fe3+ on the magnetic properties of CoFe2O4,” Phys. B Condens. Matter, vol. 554, pp. 107–113, Feb. 2019, doi: 10.1016/j.physb.2018.11.031.
[26] D. Mishra, J. Nanda, S. Parida, K. J. Sankaran, and S. Ghadei, “Effect of Y3+ and Co2+ co-doping on the structural, optical, magnetic and dielectric properties of LaFeO3 nanoparticles,” J. Sol-Gel Sci. Technol., vol. 111, no. 2, pp. 381–394, Aug. 2024, doi: 10.1007/s10971-024-06452-3.
[27] A. H. Monfared, A. Zamanian, I. Sharifi, and M. Mozafari, “Reversible multistimuli-responsive manganese–zinc ferrite/P(NIPAAM-AAc-AAm) core-shell nanoparticles: A programmed ferrogel system,” Mater. Chem. Phys., vol. 226, pp. 44–50, Mar. 2019, doi: 10.1016/j.matchemphys.2019.01.016.
Published
2026-05-21
How to Cite
Kurniawidi, D., Saputra, K., Ardianto, T., Inayah, R., & Aminy, I. (2026). UV-Vis Spectroscopic Analysis for Band Gap Determination of Cobalt-Doped Magnetite (Fe2.5Co0.5O4) Nanoparticles Derived from Natural Iron Sand. KONSTAN - JURNAL FISIKA DAN PENDIDIKAN FISIKA, 10(2), 115-125. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.20414/konstan.v10i2.786
Section
Articles
