Hematite solid and hollow spindles: Selective synthesis and application in gas sensor and photocatalysis

Hematite solid spindles and hollow spindles have been selectively synthesized by a template-free, economical hydrothermal method, using FeCl3·6H2O as the starting materials and NaOH as the homogeneous precipitant. XRD analyses indicated that the products consisted of α-Fe2O3. SEM and TEM measurements showed that the morphologies of products were in the shape of solid spindles and hollow spindles, respectively. A possible formation process based on the nucleation-oriented aggregation–recrystallization mechanism is proposed. Moreover, the as-prepared hollow spindle-like α-Fe2O3 exhibits a good response and reversibility to some organic gas, such as 2-propanol and acetone. Compared with other hematite nanostructures, the porous hollow hematite spindles show outstanding performance in gas sensing due to their large surface area and porous hollow structure. Because of the unique porous hollow structures of the samples, the photocatalytic property of the spindle-like α-Fe2O3 was also investigated.

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► The surfactant plays critical roles in controlling the final morphology of hematite.
► High porosity and 3D morphology structures promote its sensing performances.
► The inner surface area of hollow spindles is disabled for photocatalytic degradation.