Thermal oxide synthesis and characterization of Fe3O4 nanorods and Fe2O3 nanowires

Fe3O4 nanorods and Fe2O3 nanowires have been synthesized through a simple thermal oxide reaction of Fe with C2H2O4 solution at 200–600°C for 1 h in the air. The morphology and structure of Fe3O4 nanorods and Fe2O3 nanowires were detected with powder X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. The influence of temperature on the morphology development was experimentally investigated. The results show that the polycrystals Fe3O4 nanorods with cubic structure and the average diameter of 0.5–0.8 μm grow after reaction at 200–500°C for 1 h in the air. When the temperature was 600°C, the samples completely became Fe2O3 nanowires with hexagonal structure. It was found that C2H2O4 molecules had a significant effect on the formation of Fe3O4 nanorods. A possible mechanism was also proposed to account for the growth of these Fe3O4 nanorods.