High-quality elliptical iron glycolate nanosheets: selective synthesis and chemical conversion into FexOy nanorings, porous nanosheets, and nanochains with enhanced visible-light photocatalytic activity

This paper describes an original and facile polyol-mediated solvothermal synthesis of elliptical iron giycolate nanosheets (IGNSs) combined with precursor thermal conversion into gamma-Fe2O3 and alpha-Fe2O3/gamma-Fe2O3 porous nanosheets (PNSs), alpha-Fe2O3 nanochains (NCs), and elliptical Fe3O4 nanorings (NRs). The IGNSs were produced via the oxidation reduction and co-precipitation reactions in the presence of iron(III) salts ethylene glycol, polyethylene glycol, and ethylenediamine. Control over Fe3+ concentration, temperature, and time can considerably modulate the size and phase of the products. The IGNSs can be transformed to gamma-Fe2O3 and alpha-Fe2O3/gamma-Fe2O3 PNSs, alpha-Fe2O3 NCs, and elliptical Fe3O4 NRs by heat treatment under various annealing temperatures and ambiences. The PNSs and NCs exhibited high soft magnetic properties and coercivity, respectively. Visible-light photocatalytic activity toward RhB in the presence of H2O2 by PNSs and NCs was phase-, S-BET, size-, porosity-, and local structure-dependent, following the order: alpha-Fe2O3 NCs > alpha-Fe2O3/gamma-Fe2O3 PNSs > gamma-Fe2O3 PNSs > IGNSs. In particular, alpha-Fe2O3/gamma-Fe2O3 PNSs possessed significantly enhanced photocatalytic activity with good recyclability and could be conveniently separated by an applied magnetic field because of high magnetization. We believe that the as-prepared alpha-Fe2O3/gamma-Fe2O3 PNSs have potential practical use in waste water treatment and microwave absorption.