Continuous hollow α-Fe2O3 and α-Fe fibers prepared by the sol–gel method

Abstract

Continuous iron oxide gel fibers were prepared by the sol–gel method using ferric alkoxide and acetic acid as starting materials and alcohol as solvent, and continuous hollow α-Fe₂O₃ fibers produced after the gel fibers were heat treated at 400 °C for 1 h. The outer diameter of the α-Fe₂O₃ fibers is between 4–10 µm and the wall thickness is 1–2 µm, in which the α-Fe₂O₃ particle size is about 100 nm. 2-Methoxyethanol and acetic acid played important roles in the formation of the spinnable sol and the possible mechanism for the formation of the hollow α-Fe₂O₃ fibers was discussed in detail. The hollow α-Fe fibers could be obtained by reducing the as-prepared α-Fe₂O₃ fibers under hydrogen flow and the α-Fe particle size increased to ∼150 nm.