Controlled Growth of Large-Area, Uniform, Vertically Aligned Arrays of α-Fe2O3 Nanobelts and Nanowires

Morphologies and magnetic properties of α-Fe2O3 nanoparticles calcined at different temperatures

Different morphologies and sizes of α-Fe2O3 were prepared by a coprecipitation method using polyvinylpyrrolidone as a dispersant. In the preparation process, homogeneous and dispersed nanoscale FeOOH particles were first obtained by the coprecipitation method, and then the FeOOH particles were calcined at high temperature to form α-Fe2O3. The growth and aggregation of the α-Fe2O3 particles at different calcination temperatures resulted in α-Fe2O3 powders with diversiform morphologies (nanoscale microsphere, pinecone ellipsoidal, polyhedral, and quasi-spherical structures). By analyzing the SEM images, it was inferred that the polyhedral structure of α-Fe2O3 particles was formed by the accumulation of rhomboid sheet structures and high-temperature growth. In terms of the magnetic properties, the samples belonged to the class of canted antiferromagnetic materials, and the morphology, particle size, and crystallite size of the α-Fe2O3 particles were important factors affecting the coercivity. Among these, when the calcination temperature was increased from 700 °C to 800 °C, the growth rate of the particle size was significantly faster than that of the crystallite size, and the coercivity increased substantially from 1411 Oe to 2688 Oe.

Metal Oxide Nanowires Grown by a Vapor-Liquid-Solid Growth Mechanism for Resistive Gas-Sensing Applications: An Overview

Metal oxide nanowires (NWs) with a high surface area, ease of fabrication, and precise control over diameter and chemical composition are among the best candidates for the realization of resistive gas sensors. Among the different techniques used for the synthesis of materials with NW morphology, approaches based on the vapor-liquid-solid (VLS) mechanism are very popular due to the ease of synthesis, low price of starting materials, and possibility of branching. In this review article, we discuss the gas-sensing features of metal oxide NWs grown by the VLS mechanism, with emphasis on the growth conditions and sensing mechanism. The growth and sensing performance of SnO2, ZnO, In2O3, NiO, CuO, and WO3 materials with NW morphology are discussed. The effects of the catalyst type, growth temperature, and other variables on the morphology and gas-sensing performance of NWs are discussed.

Effect of the molar ratio of (Ni2+ and Fe3+) on the magnetic, optical and antibacterial properties of ternary metal oxide CdO-NiO-Fe2O3 nanocomposites

In this work, the effect of the molar ratio of (Ni²⁺ and Fe³⁺) on the properties of CdO-NiO-Fe₂O₃ nanocomposites was investigated. The synthesis of CdO-NiO-Fe₂O₃ nanocomposites was carried out by self-combustion. XRD, UV-Vis, PL and VSM were used to describe the physical properties of the materials. The results showed significant progress in structural and optical properties supporting antibacterial activity. For all samples, the particle size decreased from 28.96 to 24.95 nm with increasing Ni²⁺ content and decreasing Fe³⁺ content, as shown by the XRD pattern, which also shows the crystal structure of cubic CdO, cubic NiO, and cubic γ-Fe₂O₃ spinel. The Ni²⁺ and Fe³⁺ contents in the CdO-NiO-Fe₂O₃ nanocomposites have also been shown to enhance the ferromagnetic properties. Due to the significant coupling between Fe₂O₃ and NiO, the coercivity H_c values of the samples increase from 66.4 to 266 Oe. The potential of the nanocomposites for antibacterial activity was investigated against Gram-positive (Staphylococcus aureus) and Gram-negative (Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli, and Moraxella catarrhalis) bacteria. Comparison of P. aeruginosa with E. coli, S. aureus and M. catarrhalis showed that it has a stronger antibacterial activity with a ZOI of 25 mm.

Hematite: A Good Catalyst for the Thermal Decomposition of Energetic Materials and the Application in Nano-Thermite

Metal oxides (MOs) are of great importance in catalysts, sensor, capacitor and water treatment. Nano-sized MOs have attracted much more attention because of the unique properties, such as surface effect, small size effect and quantum size effect, etc. Hematite, an especially important additive as combustion catalysts, can greatly speed up the thermal decomposition process of energetic materials (EMs) and enhance the combustion performance of propellants. This review concludes the catalytic effect of hematite with different morphology on some EMs such as ammonium perchlorate (AP), cyclotrimethylenetrinitramine (RDX), cyclotetramethylenete-tranitramine (HMX), etc. The method for enhancing the catalytic effect on EMs using hematite-based materials such as perovskite and spinel ferrite materials, making composites with different carbon materials and assembling super-thermite is concluded and their catalytic effects on EMs is also discussed. Therefore, the provided information is helpful for the design, preparation and application of catalysts for EMs.

Two Coordination Polymers Synthesized from Various N-Donor Clusters Spaced by Terephthalic Acid for Efficient Photocatalytic Degradation of Ibuprofen in Water under Solar and Artificial Irradiation

Two coordination polymers CP1 {[Zn(II)(BIPY)(Pht)] _n } and CP2 {[Zn(HYD)(Pht)] _n } (BIPY = 4,4'-bipyridine, Pht = terephthalic acid, and HYD = 8-hydroxyquinoline) have been successfully synthesized by a hydrothermal process using zinc aqueous solution. The so-prepared compounds were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, UV-visible spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and cyclic voltammetry. XRD pointed to a crystalline phase for CP1, while CP2 required recrystallization, FTIR spectroscopy established the presence of characteristic bands for all the ligands, and TGA showed thermal stability up to 100 °C. The electrochemical study showed a good charge transfer between the ligands and Zn metal for both materials. The UV-vis spectra displayed a strong absorption band spreading over a wide wavelength range, encompassing UV and visible light, with a band gap of 2.69 eV for CP1 and 2.56 eV for CP2, both of which are smaller than that of ZnO. This provides an advantageous alternative to using ZnO. The 5 × 10^-5 mol L^-1 ibuprofen decomposition kinetics under solar and UV light were studied under different irradiation conditions. Good photocatalytic properties were observed due to their high surface area.

A review on sensing and catalytic activity of nano-catalyst for synthesis of one-step ammonia and urea: Challenges and perspectives

One of the most significant chemical operations in the past century was the Haber-Bosch catalytic synthesis of ammonia, a fertilizer vital to human life. Many catalysts are developed for effective route of ammonia synthesis. The major challenges are to reduce temperature and pressure of process and to improve conversion of reactants produce green ammonia. The present review, briefly discusses the evolution of ammonia synthesis and current advances in nanocatalyst development. There are promising new ammonia synthesis catalysts of different morphology as well as magnetic nanoparticles and nanowires that could replace conventional Fused-Fe and Promoted-Ru catalysts in existing ammonia synthesis plants. These magnetic nanocatalyst could be basis for the production of magnetically induced one-step green ammonia and urea synthesis processes in future.

Progress in Iron Oxides Based Nanostructures for Applications in Energy Storage

The demand for green and efficient energy storage devices in daily life is constantly rising, which is caused by the global environment and energy problems. Lithium-ion batteries (LIBs), an important kind of energy storage devices, are attracting much attention. Graphite is used as LIBs anode, however, its theoretical capacity is low, so it is necessary to develop LIBs anode with higher capacity. Application strategies and research progresses of novel iron oxides and their composites as LIBs anode in recent years are summarized in this review. Herein we enumerate several typical synthesis methods to obtain a variety of iron oxides based nanostructures, such as gas phase deposition, co-precipitation, electrochemical method, etc. For characterization of the iron oxides based nanostructures, especially the in-situ X-ray diffraction and ⁵⁷Fe Mössbauer spectroscopy are elaborated. Furthermore, the electrochemical applications of iron oxides based nanostructures and their composites are discussed and summarized.

Graphic Abstract

Structural and Magnetic Properties Study of Fe2O3/NiO/Ni2FeO4 Nanocomposites

In the current work, the nanocomposites that consist chiefly of three components—α-Fe2O3, NiO and Ni2FeO4, in two different ratios 2:2:1 (FNN-221) and 2:1:1 (FNN-211), respectively—were produced. The synthesis was done in two steps by following the chemical co-precipitation and mechanical ball-milling route. The presence of individual phase was identified from the XRD data without the detection of any additional impurities. The phase fraction of each component estimated from the profile fitting of XRD patterns were found to be 41.2%, 39.7%, 19.1% in FNN-221 sample and 49.5%, 26.4%, 24.1% for FNN-211 sample, respectively, which were consistent with the experimental values. The total magnetization at 300 K was obtained to be 13.41 emu/g and 10.95 emu/g for FNN-221 and FNN-211 samples, respectively. In FNN-211 compound the zero field coercivity (HC) expanded towards the higher field values thereby signifying the exchange bias behavior. Furthermore, the exchange bias field (Hex) for FNN-211 was obtained as 35.1 Oe.

Influence of pretreatment on the properties of α-Fe2O3 and the effect on photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue under visible light

The hematite (α-Fe₂O₃) nanostructures were synthesized by thermal oxidation of metal at 500 °C under atmospheric pressure. We studied the effect of the electrochemical pretreatment of the substrate before calcinations and its impact on the morphology, crystalline structure, lattice microstructural, and optical properties of α-Fe₂O₃. Uniform nanosheets were observed on the sample surface after calcination; their dimension and morphology were accentuated by the pretreatment, as confirmed by the SEM images. The characteristics of the nanostructures, analyzed by X-ray diffraction (XRD), revealed a rhombohedral symmetry with the space group R-3c and lattice constants: a = 0.5034 nm and c = 1.375 nm. The average crystallite size and strain, determined from the Williamson-Hall (W-H) plot, showed substantial variations after the substrate pretreatment. The Raman spectroscopy confirmed the changes in the crystal properties of the hematite submitted to pretreatment. The diffuse reflectance allowed to evaluate the optical gap which lies between 1.2 and 1.97 eV, induced by the electrochemical processing. The photocatalytic activity of α-Fe₂O₃ films was assessed by the degradation of methylene blue (MB) under LED light; 15% enhancement of the degradation for the pretreated specimens was noticed.

Mn-Promoted Growth of Mg-Based Spinel and Pyroxene Nanostructures

In this work, we demonstrate Mn-promoted growth of oxide nanostructures standing on a single-crystal MgAl₂O₄ substrate after heat treatment. Unlike the short truncated spinel pyramids under Au seeds, the addition of Mn produces spinel nanopillars with lengths of 100-300 nm and pyroxene nanowires up to 10 μm. Compared to Au seeds, Au/Mn seeds have different adsorption behavior and therefore provide an additional mass transfer path along seed surfaces that promotes the growth of nanostructures. This vaporization approach has a potential of being applicable to a wide range of complicated oxides.

The role of hollow magnetic nanoparticles in drug delivery

The increasing number of scientific publications focusing on nanomaterials in the biomedical field indicates growing interest from the broader scientific community. Nanomedicine is a modern science, and research continues into the application of nanoscale materials for the therapy and diagnosis of damaged tissues. In this regard, substantial progress has been made in the synthesis of magnetic materials with desired sizes, morphologies, chemical compositions, and surface chemistry. Among these, magnetic iron oxide nanoparticles have demonstrated great promise as unique carriers in the delivery of chemical drugs due to their combinations of hollow structures. Importantly, due to the combination of the ability to respond to an external magnetic field and the rich possibilities of their coatings, magnetic materials are universal tools for the magnetic separation of small molecules, biomolecules, and cells. This review provides an overview of the synthesis and biological applications of hollow magnetic nanoparticles in drug delivery systems.

Facile electrochemical synthesis of ultrathin iron oxyhydroxide nanosheets for the oxygen evolution reaction

We propose a facile approach to synthesise ultrathin iron oxyhydroxide nanosheets for use in catalysing the electrochemical oxygen evolution reaction. This two dimensional material lowers the overpotential and provides a platform for further performance enhancement via integration of species such as nickel into an ultrathin nanosheet structure.

Crystal Facet Engineering of Photoelectrodes for Photoelectrochemical Water Splitting

Photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting is a promising approach for solar-driven hydrogen production with zero emissions, and it has been intensively studied over the past decades. However, the solar-to-hydrogen (STH) efficiencies of the current PEC systems are still far from the 10% target needed for practical application. The development of efficient photoelectrodes in PEC systems holds the key to achieving high STH efficiencies. In recent years, crystal facet engineering has emerged as an important strategy in designing efficient photoelectrodes for PEC water splitting, which has yet to be comprehensively reviewed and is the main focus of this article. After the Introduction, the second section of this review concisely introduces the mechanisms of crystal facet engineering. The subsequent section provides a snapshot of the unique facet-dependent properties of some semiconductor crystals including surface electronic structures, redox reaction sites, surface built-in electric fields, molecular adsorption, photoreaction activity, photocorrosion resistance, and electrical conductivity. Then, the methods for fabricating photoelectrodes with faceted semiconductor crystals are reviewed, with a focus on the preparation processes. In addition, the notable advantages of the crystal facet engineering of photoelectrodes in terms of light harvesting, charge separation and transfer, and surface reactions are critically discussed. This is followed by a systematic overview of the modification strategies of faceted photoelectrodes to further enhance the PEC performance. The last section summarizes the major challenges and some invigorating perspectives for future research on crystal facet engineered photoelectrodes, which are believed to play a vital role in promoting the development of this important research field.

A novel route to the formation of 3D nanoflower-like hierarchical iron oxide nanostructure

The present work reports the formation of 3D nanoflower-like morphology of iron alkoxide via the anodization of Fe sheet in ethylene glycol (EG) electrolyte. XRD, FESEM, EDX, XPS, Raman and FTIR are applied to characterize the samples. SEM results show that the as-anodized sample is composed of 3D nanoflowers with hierarchical nanosheets beneath it. The average width of the nanoflower petal is ∼25 nm and the length is about 1 μm. The 3D nanoflowers are transformed into spherical nanoparticles (NPs) with uniform size when calcined at elevated temperature. XRD and Raman results indicate that the 3D nanoflowers consist of akaganeite, which transforms into magnetite and hematite by annealing. XPS and FTIR results confirm that the nanoflowers contain significant amounts of F, C and OH, which are drastically decreased after annealing. The formation of 3D nanoflower-like morphology can be attributed to EG. A possible formation mechanism of 3D nanoflowers and their transformation into NPs is proposed. We showed that the morphology of the as-anodized iron oxide can be tailored simply by changing the electrolyte. The anodization of Fe sheet in glycerol-based electrolyte under identical conditions produced nanotubes.

Fe2O3 Blocking Layer Produced by Cyclic Voltammetry Leads to Improved Photoelectrochemical Performance of Hematite Nanorods

Hematite is a low band gap, earth abundant semiconductor and it is considered to be a promising choice for photoelectrochemical water splitting. However, as a bulk material its efficiency is low because of excessive bulk, surface, and interface recombination. In the present work, we propose a strategy to prepare a hematite (α-Fe2O3) photoanode consisting of hematite nanorods grown onto an iron oxide blocking layer. This blocking layer is formed from a sputter deposited thin metallic iron film on fluorine doped tin oxide (FTO) by using cyclic voltammetry to fully convert the film into an anodic oxide. In a second step, hematite nanorods (NR) are grown onto the layer using a hydrothermal approach. In this geometry, the hematite sub-layer works as a barrier for electron back diffusion (a blocking layer). This suppresses recombination, and the maximum of the incident photon to current efficiency is increased from 12% to 17%. Under AM 1.5 conditions, the photocurrent density reaches approximately 1.2 mA/cm2 at 1.5 V vs. RHE and the onset potential changes to 0.8 V vs. RHE (using a Zn-Co co-catalyst).

Substrate-induced hydrothermal synthesis of hematite superstructures and their Fischer–Tropsch synthesis performance

Fe foam substrates with different pore densities are used to fabricate versatile α-Fe₂O₃ nanostructures with different Fischer–Tropsch synthesis performance.

Synthesis and formation mechanism of self-assembled 3D flower-like Bi/γ-Fe2O3 composite particles

The self-assembled 3D flower-like Bi/γ-Fe₂O₃ composite particles consist of a Bi nanosphere core and a γ-Fe₂O₃ nanopetal shell.

Applied Stress-Assisted Growth of Single Crystal γ-Fe₂O₃ Nanowires

It is difficult to obtain γ-Fe₂O₃ nanostructures by heating iron substrate in ambient conditions because γ-Fe₂O₃ is less thermodynamically stable than α-Fe₂O₃. In this work, we synthesize γ-Fe₂O₃ nanowires by heating iron particles under an external force. The stacking style of iron and oxygen ions under a strong shearing stress tends to adopt the γ-Fe₂O₃ structure regardless of the thermodynamic restriction. These γ-Fe₂O₃ nanowires exhibit a clear ferromagnetic property. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) measurements confirm that γ-phase structure appears only under the applied external force during the heating period. A window of the magnitude of the external force is found to help the nanowire growth on iron particles. The growth mechanism of γ-Fe₂O₃ nanowires other than α-Fe₂O₃ under the external force is discussed and an applied stress-assisted growth model is proposed. This work presents an easy approach to produce ferromagnetic iron oxide nanowires on a large scale.

Facile Synthesis of Ultrafine Hematite Nanowire Arrays in Mixed Water-Ethanol-Acetic Acid Solution for Enhanced Charge Transport and Separation

Nanostructure engineering is of great significance for semiconductor electrode to achieve high photoelectrochemical performance. Herein, we report a novel strategy to fabricate ultrafine hematite (α-Fe₂O₃) nanowire arrays in a mixed water-ethanol-acetic acid (WEA) solvent. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report on direct growth of ultrafine (∼10 nm) α-Fe₂O₃ nanowire arrays on fluorine-doped tin oxide substrates through solution-based fabrication process. The effect of WEA ratio on the morphology of nanowires has been systematically studied to understand the formation mechanism. Photoelectrochemical measurements were conducted on both Ti-treated α-Fe₂O₃ nanowire and nanorod photoelectrodes. It reveals that α-Fe₂O₃ nanowire electrode has higher photocurrent and charge separation efficiencies than nanorod electrode if the carrier concentration and space-charge carrier width are in the same order of magnitude. Normalized by electrochemically active surface area, the Ti-treated α-Fe₂O₃ nanowire electrode obtains 6.4 times higher specific photocurrent density than nanorod electrode. This superiority of nanowires arises from the higher bulk and surface charge separation efficiencies, which could be partly attributed to reduced distance that holes must transfer to reach the semiconductor-liquid junction.

Assessing the scalability of low conductivity substrates for photo-electrodes via modelling of resistive losses

In order to scale up photo-electrochemical water splitting, ohmic losses within the substrate must be assessed with a model which captures the behaviour of the photo-electrode.

Uniaxial Magnetization Performance of Textured Fe Nanowire Arrays Electrodeposited by a Pulsed Potential Deposition Technique

Textured ferromagnetic Fe nanowire arrays were electrodeposited using a rectangular-pulsed potential deposition technique into anodized aluminum oxide nanochannels. During the electrodeposition of Fe nanowire arrays at a cathodic potential of - 1.2 V, the growth rate of the nanowires was ca. 200 nm s^-1. The aspect ratio of Fe nanowires with a diameter of 30 ± 5 nm reached ca. 2000. The long axis of Fe nanowires corresponded with the <200> direction when a large overpotential during the on-time pulse was applied, whereas it orientated to the <110> direction under the potentiostatic condition with a small overpotential. By shifting the on-time cathode potential up to - 1.8 V, the texture coefficient for the (200) plane, TC₂₀₀, reached up to 1.94. Perpendicular magnetization performance was observed in Fe nanowire arrays. With increasing TC₂₀₀, the squareness of Fe nanowire arrays increased up to 0.95 with the coercivity maintained at 1.4 kOe at room temperature. This research result has opened a novel possibility of Fe nanowire arrays that can be applied for a new permanent magnetic material without rare-earth metals.

Greatly improved dispersibility of Pt quantum dots in hematite nanoarray and enhanced photoelectrochemical performance

The anchoring of platinum quantum dots (Pt QDs) on the surface of hematite (α-Fe₂O₃) nanorods is regarded as an efficient way to promote photoelectrochemical activity. To further improve the performance of the Pt-hematite material system, the size and location of the Pt QDs is a key factor to be considered. In this work, an α-Fe₂O₃ nanorod array film was grown on a transparent conductive FTO substrate by a facile hydrothermal method. Pt QDs with a diameter of ∼2 nm were uniformly deposited on the surface of the α-Fe₂O₃ nanorod. The dispersibility of the Pt QDs was greatly improved by regulating the surface wettability of the α-Fe₂O₃ thin film. The dependence of surface wettability on the micro-/nano-structure of the α-Fe₂O₃ array was revealed. Due to the structure regulation of the α-Fe₂O₃ nanoarray and the greatly improved dispersibility of the Pt QDs, the photocurrent of the 2.7 wt% Pt QD anchored α-Fe₂O₃ nanorod array was ten times higher than that of the pure α-Fe₂O₃ nanorod array. This work points to an efficient approach for dispersing the QDs in a nanoarray thin film by adjusting its micro-/nano-structure and surface wettability.

Lead and Chromium Adsorption from Water using L-Cysteine Functionalized Magnetite (Fe3O4) Nanoparticles

L-Cysteine functionalized magnetite nanoparticles (L-Cyst-Fe3O4 NPs) were synthesized by chemical co-precipitation using Fe2+ and Fe3+ as iron precursors, sodium hydroxide as a base and L-Cysteine as functionalized agent. The structural and morphological studies were carried out using X-ray powder diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, dynamic light scattering, scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and UV-Vis spectrophotometric techniques. The zeta potential of bare Fe3O4 and functionalized L-Cyst-Fe3O4 NPs were +28 mV and -30.2 mV (pH 7.0), respectively. The positive surface charge changes to negative imply the presence of L-Cyst monolayer at particle interface. Band gap energy of 2.12 eV [bare Fe3O4NPs] and 1.4 eV [L-Cyst-Fe3O4 NPs] were obtained. Lead and chromium removal were investigated at different initial pHs, contact time, temperatures and adsorbate-adsorbent concentrations. Maximum Cr6+ and Pb2+ removal occurred at pH 2.0 and 6.0, respectively. Sorption dynamics data were best described by pseudo-second order rate equation. Pb2+ and Cr6+ sorption equilibrium data were best fitted to Langmuir equation. Langmuir adsorption capacities of 18.8 mg/g (Pb2+) and 34.5 mg/g (Cr6+) at 45 °C were obtained. Regeneration of exhausted L-Cyst-Fe3O4 NPs and recovery of Pb2+/Cr6+ were demonstrated using 0.01 M HNO3 and NaOH. L-Cyst-Fe3O4 NPs stability and reusability were also demonstrated.

Fabrication of Fe2O3 nanowire arrays based on oxidation-assisted stress-induced atomic-diffusion and their photovoltaic properties for solar water splitting

In this research, we propose a new simple method to fabricate high-density Fe₂O₃ nanowire arrays for solar water splitting, based on oxidation-assisted stress-induced atomic-diffusion.

Alcohol-assisted self-assembled 3D hierarchical iron (hydr)oxide nanostructures for water treatment

Self-assembled 3D hierarchical iron (hydr)oxides are synthesized with different alcohol additives for water treatment.

Fabrication of superhydrophobic surface by oxidation growth of flower-like nanostructure on a steel foil

A novel method to fabricate the superhydrophobic surface with a 3D flower-like micro-nanostructure on the steel foil was presented here. The surface shows good drag reduction effect and has numerous technical applications in drag reduction field.

High performance white-light-controlled resistance switching memory of an Ag/α-Fe2O3/FTO thin film

A white-light-controlled resistance switching memory device based on an Ag/α-Fe₂O₃/FTO structure, made by growing an α-Fe₂O₃ nanorod array on FTO, shows high performance with an OFF/ON ratio of ∼10⁴ and exceptional stability at room temperature.

Facile synthesis of Mn-doped Fe2O3 nanostructures: enhanced CO catalytic performance induced by manganese doping

A promoting influence of manganese species on the controllable synthesis and catalytic property on CO conversion of the manganese-iron oxide is observed.

Facile biosurfactant assisted biocompatible α-Fe2O3 nanorods and nanospheres synthesis, magneto physicochemical characteristics and their enhanced biomolecules sensing ability

Tunable magnetic and electrocatalytic characteristics of α-Fe₂O₃ nanostructures were fabricated by tapping saponin induced anisotropic growth, demonstrated excellent electrocatalytic activity towards dopamine and uric acid with wider potential gap.

Preparation and Application of a Nano α-Fe2O3/SAPO-34 Photocatalyst for Removal of the Anti-cancer Drug Doxorubicin using the Taguchi Approach

The synthesis of α-Fe2O3/SAPO-34 nano photocatalyst was the first step of this study. The α-Fe2O3 nanocatalyst was synthesized applying forced hydrolysis and reflux condensation followed by solid-state dispersion that was used for supporting α-Fe2O3 on SAPO-34. The next step was a characterization of the catalyst that was performed using X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FT-IR). Then, for optimizing the operational parameters in Doxorubicin’s degradation process the effect of Doxorubicin concentration, the amount of α-Fe2O3/SAPO-34 nano photocatalyst, the pH, and H2O2 concentration was studied via the Taguchi method. The AL9 orthogonal array was adjusted and nine crucial runs were conducted. For calculating Signal/Noise ratio, each run was repeated three times. As the results showed, the concentration of Doxorubicin is the most effective parameter. Optimized conditions for removing the anti-cancer drug (based on Signal/Noise ratio) were Doxorubicin concentration (20 ppm), H2O2 concentration (3 mol/L), catalyst amount (50 mg/L) and pH = 8.

High temperature oxidation of iron–iron oxide core–shell nanowires composed of iron nanoparticles

The thermal oxidation of iron nanowires causes their breakdown due to void coalescence and formation of α-Fe₂O₃microparticles and microrods.

Alkali metal ion induced cube shaped mesoporous hematite particles for improved magnetic properties and efficient degradation of water pollutants

Alkali metal ion induced cube shaped mesoporous α-Fe₂O₃particles showed improved magnetic properties and efficient photo-Fenton degradation of methylene blue.

Ag-doped nano magnetic γ-Fe2O3@DA core–shell hollow spheres: an efficient and recoverable heterogeneous catalyst for A3 and KA2 coupling reactions and [3 + 2] cycloaddition

An effective protocol for the fabrication of Ag-doped nano magnetic γ-Fe₂O₃@DA core–shell hollow spheres (h-Fe₂O₃@DA/Ag) by a simple hydrothermal method is demonstrated without any templates in the reaction system.

PRED treatment mediated stable and efficient water oxidation performance of the Fe2O3 nano-coral structure

Herein, we demonstrate that an electrochemical surface treatment of Fe foil with simple pulse reverse electrodeposition (PRED) prior to thermal oxidation can substantially enhance the photoelectrochemical (PEC) stability and water splitting performance of Fe2O3/Fe photoanodes. Comprehensive structural (XRD, FESEM, and HRTEM), compositional (XPS depth profiling), and electrochemical (EIS and Mott-Schottky) analyses were performed to understand the effect of PRED treatment on the PEC performance of fabricated photoanodes. It is revealed that air-exposed Fe foil is prone to formation of a loosely bound surface oxide layer that, upon annealing at 800 °C, results in an unstable Fe2O3 nano-flake (2-3 μm long) morphology. In contrast, when such Fe foil is pre-treated with PRED to etch the loosely bound oxide layer, adherent inverse-opal-like nano-coral structures (60-100 nm thin) are formed. In addition to stability improvement, PRED-treatment also assists in exposing the photocatalytically active high index [104] facet sites of hematite. Thin hematite nano-coral structures with high index [104] facet sites significantly improved the separation of photo-generated charge carriers and oxygen evolution kinetics, resulting in performance enhancement with excellent photocurrent stability for extended duration in a 1 M NaOH solution under one sun illumination. The net photocurrent density for nano-coral morphology was 0.813 mA cm(-2) at 1.23 V vs. RHE, which is the highest reported value for pristine hematite photoanodes fabricated from Fe foil.