Hydrothermal synthesis and characterization of single-crystalline α-Fe 2 O 3 nanocubes

Single-crystalline α-Fe2O3 nanocubes were successfully obtained in large quantities through a facile one-step hydrothermal synthetic route under mild conditions. In this synthetic system, aqueous iron (III) nitrate (Fe(NO3)3ċ9H2O) served as iron source and triethylamine served as precipitant and alkaline agent. By prolonging reaction time from 1 h to 24 h, the evolution process of α-Fe2O3, from nanorhombohedra to nanohexahedron, and finally nanocube, was observed. The products were characterized by Powder X-ray Diffraction (XRD), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), Highresolution Transmission Electron Microscopy (HRTEM), Selected-Area Electron Diffraction (SAED), and Fourier Transform Infrared Spectrometry (FTIR). The possible formation mechanism was discussed on basis of the experimental results.