Ultra-sharp α-Fe2O3 nanoflakes:: growth mechanism and field-emission

We report the synthesis of single-crystalline alpha-Fe2O3 nanoflakes from a simple Fe-air reaction within the temperatures range of 260-400 degrees C. The nanoflakes synthesized at the lowest temperature (260 degrees C) in this work show an ultra-sharp morphology: 5-10 nm in thickness, 1-2 mu m in length, 20 nm in base-width and around 5 nm at the tips; successfully demonstrate the promising electron field emission properties of a large-scaled alpha-Fe2O3 nanostructure film and exhibit the potential applications as future field-emission (FE) electron sources and displays (FEDs). The formation and growth of alpha-Fe2O3 nanostructures were discussed based on the surface diffusion mechanism.