Ultrafine α-Fe2O3 nanoparticles grown in confinement of in situ self-formed "cage" and their superior adsorption performance on arsenic(III)

Wenshu Tang, Qi Li, Caifu Li, Shian Gao, Jian Ku Shang

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Without the addition of surfactants or templates, ultrafine α-Fe 2O3 nanoparticles were successfully synthesized by a solvent thermal process at low temperature. During the synthesis, in situ selfformed "cage" of crystallized NaCl confined the growth of α-Fe2O3 nanoparticles in both the precipitation and solvent thermal processes, resulting in the creation of well-crystallized α-Fe2O3 nanoparticles with an average particle size about 4-5 nm and a high-specific surface area of ∼162 m2/g. High resolution TEM investigations provided clear evidences of the in situ self-formation of NaCl "cage" during the synthesis and its confinement effect on the growth of α-Fe2O3 nanoparticles. The superior performance of these α-Fe2O3 nanoparticles on the adsorption of arsenite(III) (As) from aqueous environment was demonstrated with both lab-prepared and natural water samples at near neutral pH environment when compared with previously reported removal effects of As(III) by Fe2O3. This unique approach may also be utilized in the synthesis of other ultrafine metal oxide nanoparticles for a broad range of technical applications.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)2641-2651
Number of pages11
JournalJournal of Nanoparticle Research
Volume13
Issue number6
DOIs
StatePublished - Jun 2011
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Arsenic(III) adsorption
  • Hematite
  • In situ self-formed "cage"
  • Nanoparticles
  • Solvent thermal process
  • α-FeO

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • General Chemistry
  • Condensed Matter Physics
  • Bioengineering
  • Atomic and Molecular Physics, and Optics
  • General Materials Science
  • Modeling and Simulation

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