Sol-gel mediated synthesis of Fe2O3 nanorods

Fe2O3 nanorods with controlled phase depending on the conditions have been synthesized via a sol-gel-mediated route. The synthesis was performed using an easy and cheap method whereby, starting with an Fe3+ salt, a sol-gel reaction in reverse micelles is followed by crystallization by reflux (see Figure for a schematic of the synthesis). A mechanism is proposed for the nanorod growth.