Synthesis and characterization of iron oxide nanotubes via the hydrothermal method

Abstract

The hydrothermal process is a method that is capable of producing high purity iron oxide nanostructures. In this research, the effects of varying concentration, time and reactant ratio were investigated. The equipments used in characterization include the X-ray diffraction and Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscope (FESEM). The varying of these three factors had no significant impact on the yield of the product. While any reaction time of more than 48 hours had no effect on the morphology, the varying of concentration and reactant ratio resulted in the formation of a variety of nano-scale morphology ranging from tubes, rods, ellipsoids, spheres and rings. The different morphologies obtained provided very useful information about the possible reaction mechanisms that could have led to the formation of the different types of nanostructures. It was deduced that the reactant used and the crystallography of hematite were believed to play a critical role in influencing the mechanism.