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).