Issue 39, 2015

High-quality elliptical iron glycolate nanosheets: selective synthesis and chemical conversion into FexOy nanorings, porous nanosheets, and nanochains with enhanced visible-light photocatalytic activity

Abstract

This paper describes an original and facile polyol-mediated solvothermal synthesis of elliptical iron glycolate nanosheets (IGNSs) combined with precursor thermal conversion into γ-Fe2O3 and α-Fe2O3/γ-Fe2O3 porous nanosheets (PNSs), α-Fe2O3 nanochains (NCs), and elliptical Fe3O4 nanorings (NRs). The IGNSs were produced via the oxidation–reduction and co-precipitation reactions in the presence of iron(III) salts, ethylene glycol, polyethylene glycol, and ethylenediamine. Control over Fe3+ concentration, temperature, and time can considerably modulate the size and phase of the products. The IGNSs can be transformed to γ-Fe2O3 and α-Fe2O3/γ-Fe2O3 PNSs, α-Fe2O3 NCs, and elliptical Fe3O4 NRs by heat treatment under various annealing temperatures and ambiences. The PNSs and NCs exhibited high soft magnetic properties and coercivity, respectively. Visible-light photocatalytic activity toward RhB in the presence of H2O2 by PNSs and NCs was phase-, SBET, size-, porosity-, and local structure-dependent, following the order: α-Fe2O3 NCs > α-Fe2O3/γ-Fe2O3 PNSs > γ-Fe2O3 PNSs > IGNSs. In particular, α-Fe2O3/γ-Fe2O3 PNSs possessed significantly enhanced photocatalytic activity with good recyclability and could be conveniently separated by an applied magnetic field because of high magnetization. We believe that the as-prepared α-Fe2O3/γ-Fe2O3 PNSs have potential practical use in waste water treatment and microwave absorption.

Graphical abstract: High-quality elliptical iron glycolate nanosheets: selective synthesis and chemical conversion into FexOy nanorings, porous nanosheets, and nanochains with enhanced visible-light photocatalytic activity

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
04 Jun 2015
Accepted
03 Sep 2015
First published
09 Sep 2015

Nanoscale, 2015,7, 16493-16503

High-quality elliptical iron glycolate nanosheets: selective synthesis and chemical conversion into FexOy nanorings, porous nanosheets, and nanochains with enhanced visible-light photocatalytic activity

G. Tong, Y. Liu, T. Wu, Y. Ye and C. Tong, Nanoscale, 2015, 7, 16493 DOI: 10.1039/C5NR03689E

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