One step synthesis of β-FeOOH nanowire bundles/graphene oxide nanocomposites

A nanocomposite of graphene oxide (GO) and β-ferric oxyhydroxide (β-FeOOH) nanowire bundles is synthesized by in situ hydrolysis of the precursor ferric chloride and GO nanosheets. Characterization by X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, and thermogravimetric analysis established the composite structure of the synthesized sample. The results revealed that the surface of GO nanosheets was uniformly assembled by numerous nanowire bundles with diameters in the range of 30–50 nm and lengths of 100–150 nm. Furthermore, β-FeOOH/GO nanocomposites showed a very high adsorption capacity of Congo red and thus these nanocomposites can be used as good adsorbents and can be used for the removal of organic dye from the waste water system.