Facile one-step preparation of hierarchical α-Fe2O3 nanostructures with enhanced performance in energy and environmentally related applications†
Abstract
Hierarchical α-Fe2O3 nanostructures have been successfully synthesized in aqueous solution of sodium dodecyl sulfonate (SDS), 1-dodecyl-3-methylimidazolium bromide (C12mimBr) and ethylene glycol (EG) on the basis of a polyol process. Based on a series of experiments, the possible growth mechanism and fabrication process of the hierarchical structures were proposed. The addition of EG and utilizing Fe2+ ions as the source of iron were our “protection” reactions to guarantee the equilibrium between hydrolysis and oxidation of Fe3+. Furthermore, electrochemical measurements demonstrated that the as-prepared hierarchical α-Fe2O3 nanocrystals are ideal candidates for lithium-ion batteries. In addition, the photocatalytic activity of the as-prepared α-Fe2O3 was superior to that of the previously reported hierarchical α-Fe2O3 nanomaterials and the Fe2O3-based photocatalyst (α-Fe2O3/SnO2).