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

摘要

Without the addition of surfactants or templates, ultrafine α-Fe₂O₃ nanoparticles were successfully synthesized by a solvent thermal process at low temperature. During the synthesis, in situ self-formed “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.