Facile Route for the Fabrication of Porous Hematite Nanoflowers: Its Synthesis, Growth Mechanism, Application in the Lithium Ion Battery, and Magnetic and Photocatalytic Properties

In this work, a facile route using a simple solvothermal reaction and sequential calcinations to synthesize porous α-Fe2O3 flower-like nanostructures without employing templates or matrices for self-assembly is presented. The flower-like nanostructures are composed of nanosheets with a thickness of about 20 nm, which are characterized by field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM). Influencing factors such as the dosage of reactants and the solvents are systematically investigated. A possible formation mechanism for the flower-like nanostructure is proposed. A BET test shows that the product is porous and has a large surface area. The electrochemical, magnetic, and photocatalytic properties of the as-obtained α-Fe2O3 3D nanostructure are systematically investigated. The result shows that these properties are greatly affected by the porous structure.