Hydrothermal synthesis, characterization and thermal stability studies of a-Fe2O3 hollow microspheres

A simple, cost-effective hydrothermal technique was used in this study to successfully fabricate hollow a-Fe2O3 microspheres, using only fructose and anhydrous ferric chloride without any organic solvent or additive. The synthesized a-Fe2O3 hollow microspheres were characterized by X-ray diffraction spectroscopy (XRD), field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and attenuated total reflectance Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR). Based on the results, the shell was composed of aggregated a-Fe2O3 nanoparticles, while the fructose-derived carbon core was decomposed during calcination, leaving a hollow interior. XRD analysis confirmed the presence of the a-phase and the absence of c-phase Fe2O3. A mean diameter of 595 nm was estimated for the microspheres by the Gaussian fit of the histogram constructed from the diameters measured over the SEM images. EDX spectrum of the sample showed signals attributed to Fe and O, and a homogenous distribution of these elements was confirmed by elemental mapping studies. ATR-FTIR analysis confirmed the bending and stretching vibration modes of the Fe-O bond. TGA-DTA data depicted that thermal stability of a-Fe2O3 hollow microsphere was achieved at 480 degrees C and no weight loss was observed up to 1000 degrees C. High-temperature calcination results showed that the material can maintain its hollow morphology up to 700 degrees C. This material has potential applications in drug delivery, gas sensing, and lithium storage. (c) 2022 The Society of Powder Technology Japan. Published by Elsevier B.V. and The Society of Powder Technology Japan. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

A simple and cost-effective hydrothermal technique was used to fabricate hollow α-Fe2O3 microspheres, which were characterized by various methods. The microspheres exhibited a shell composed of aggregated α-Fe2O3 nanoparticles with a hollow interior. This material shows potential applications in drug delivery, gas sensing, and lithium storage.