Synthesis of hollow microspheres constructed with α-Fe2O3 nanorods and their photocatalytic and magnetic properties

Microspheres constructed with α-FeOOH nanorods were fabricated via a novel hydrothermal route using a mixture of FeCl3 and Na2SO4 or Fe2(SO4)3 as raw material, and can be transformed into hollow microspheres constructed with α-Fe2O3 nanorods by calcining in air at 600 °C for 2 h. The α-Fe2O3 superstructures consist of well-aligned α-Fe2O3 nanorods with an average length of about 1 μm growing radially from the centers of the superstructures. A possible mechanism was also proposed to account for the formation of the α-FeOOH and α-Fe2O3 superstructures. Photocatalytic and magnetic properties of the α-Fe2O3 superstructures were studied. The results indicate that the hollow microspheres constructed with α-Fe2O3 nanorods are effective photocatalyst for the degradation of methyl orange and display weak ferromagnetic behavior with a remanence of 0.071 emu g−1 and a coercivity of 219 Oe at room temperature.