Facile synthesis and characterization of iron oxide semiconductor nanowires for gas sensing application

We report a facile and efficient synthesis technique for the preparation of iron oxide semiconductor nanowires in large quantity by using nitrilotriacetic acid (NTA) as a chelating agent to form polymeric chains, followed by heat treatment. This technique can also be applied for preparing other transition metal oxide nanowires such as MnO2 nanowires and NiO nanowires. The as-prepared alpha-Fe2O3 nanowires have exhibited a blue shift of bandgap, peculiar magnetic properties, and high sensitivities toward ethanol and acetic acid gases.