Facile synthesis and characterization of ZnFe2O4/α-Fe2O3 composite hollow nanospheres

ZnFe2O4/α-Fe2O3 composite hollow nanospheres were successfully fabricated via a facile one-pot solvothermal method, utilizing polyethylene glycol as soft template. X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy analysis revealed that the prepared nanospheres with cubic spinel and rhombohedra composite structure had a uniform diameter of about 370 nm, and the hollow structure could be further confirmed by transmission electron microscopy. Energy dispersive X-ray, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and Fourier transform infrared techniques were also applied to characterize the elemental composition and chemical bonds in the hollow nanospheres. The ZnFe2O4/α-Fe2O3 composite hollow nanospheres show attractive light absorption property for potential applications in electronics, optics, and catalysis.

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► ZnFe2O4/α-Fe2O3 composite hollow nanospheres were successfully synthesized via a facile method.
► Detailed structural, morphology and the phase composition were studied.
► The incorporation of ZnFe2O4 and α-Fe2O3 gives an appropriate band gap value to utilize solar energy.