Preparation of Fe2O3 microcages from the core/shell structures

Fe2O3 microcages, with uniform size and diameters of about 620 nm, have been successfully prepared by templating against styrene-acrylic acid (PSA) copolymer latex particles, which involves the deposition of Fe(OH)3 coatings on the surface of latex particles and subsequent removal of the latex particles by calcinations. The cage-like structure of the samples was revealed by scanning electron microscope (SEM), and the formation of Fe2O3 was confirmed by X-ray powder diffraction (XRD) analysis. The porous shells were constructed with Fe2O3 nanoparticles, and the shell thickness is of 30-60 nm, matching the diameters of the Fe2O3 nanoparticles.