Preparation and characterization of haematite nanowire arrays

Arrays of alpha-Fe2O3 nanowires embedded in anodic alumina membranes were obtained after heat-treating,beta-FeOOH nanowire arrays fabricated by electrochemical deposition. Haematite polycrystalline nanowires with maximum length of about 7 mum and average diameter of about 120 nm were characterized by means of x-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy. The Morin temperature below 80 K and Neel temperature of about 350 K for the alpha-Fe2O3 nanowire arrays, far lower than those of bulk material, were measured by Mossbauer spectroscopy and using a Magnetic Property Measurement System.