Facile synthesis of porous Fe2O3 nanorods and their photocatalytic properties

Porous Fe2O3 nanorods were obtained using a facile chemical solution method with subsequent calcination. The structures and morphological evolution were characterized by X-ray diffraction, field emission scanning electron microscopy, thermogravimetric-differential thermal analysis, and Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) N2 adsorption–desorption analyses. The calculated BET surface area of the porous Fe2O3 nanorods was 18.8 m2 g−1. The porous Fe2O3 nanorods were used as a catalyst to photodegrade Rhodamine B, methylene blue, methyl orange, p-nitrophenol, and eosin B. Compared to the commercial Fe2O3 powder, the as-prepared porous Fe2O3 nanorods exhibited higher catalytic activities owing to their large surface areas and porous nanostructures. The photocatalytic reaction rate constant of the porous Fe2O3 nanorods in the photocatalytic decomposition of Rhodamine B under simulated solar light was calculated to be 0.0131 min−1. Moreover, the catalyst was found to have superior stability and reusability.