Fe2O3 icositetrahedra: evolution and their comparative photocatalytic activities

Single crystal Fe2O3 icositetrahedra have been synthesized by a facile hydrothermal synthesis method in the presence of dihydrogen phosphate ions. The icositetrahedron particles are of hexagonal shape and enclosed by 24 quadrilaterals. It could be seen as a particle with six equivalent {110} facets added to the truncated hexagonal bipyramidal structure, that is, it is enclosed by six {110} planes, six {104} planes and twelve {113} planes. Dihydrogen phosphate ions play an important role in the formation of alpha-Fe2O3 icositetrahedron particles, because high concentration of [H2PO4](-) drives the ferric oxide nanocrystals growth along the [006] zone axis. Furthermore, the as-synthesized Fe2O3 icositetrahedron single crystals show comparative photocatalytic activities on the degradation of cationic dye Rhodamine B, which make them promising candidates for catalysts and sensing materials.