Synthesis and triethylamine sensing properties of mesoporous α-Fe2O3 microrods

Mesoporous microrods (MPMRs) of α-Fe2O3 were successfully synthesized via a facile and reliable two-step route by using pre-synthesized FeC2O4·2H2O as sacrificial template. The prepared samples were characterized by XRD, FESEM, TEM, and N2 adsorption-desorption, respectively. Results indicated that during the thermal decomposition process, the FeC2O4·2H2O precursor can pass its morphology on to the α-Fe2O3 product, meanwhile, a large amount of pores with the dominant size around 5 nm were created in the α-Fe2O3 microrods. The BET surface area of the α-Fe2O3 is 122.7 m2/g. The sensor fabricated with as-prepared α-Fe2O3 MPMRs exhibited impressive gas-sensing characteristics towards triethylamine (TEA), such as relativity low optimum operating temperature (275 °C), high response, and good linearity in a wide gas concentration range (20-300 ppm), implying its promising application in detecting TEA.