Hematite (α-Fe2O3)/reduced graphene oxide (rGO) nanocomposite powder was synthesized via a novel single-step solvothermal method using iron precursors (FeCl3·6H2O: FeCl2) and CaC2 along with PVP. XRD, FESEM, EDX, TEM, Raman, FTIR, and BET were used for the characterization of the material. FESEM showed rod and sphere-like morphologies with wrinkled rGO flakes. A weak 2D Raman band at 2428 cm−1 and a strong band at 1291 cm−1 confirmed the presence of rGO. BET analysis indicates macroporosity with a 153 Å pore diameter, attributed to PVP in the crystal growth medium. Photocatalytic studies show that α-Fe2O3/rGO efficiently degrades methylene blue with 90% efficiency in neutral and alkaline media, and exhibits good stability, highlighting its potential for photocatalytic applications.
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