Abstract

Double-walled oxide nanotube structures are interesting for a wide range of applications, from photocatalysis to drug delivery. In this work, a progressive oxidation method to fabricate double-walled nanotube structures is reported in detail. The approach is based on the electrodeposition of metallic iron nanowires, in porous alumina templates, followed by a selective chemical etching, nanoscale Kirkendall effect, a fast oxidation and out-diffusion of the metallic core structure during thermal annealing. To validate the formation mechanism of such core-shell structure, chemical composition and atomic structure were assessed. The resulting hematite nanotubes have a high degree of uniformity, along several microns, and a nanoscopic double-walled structure.

Highlights

  • Iron oxides have attracted much interest for their potential application in nanotechnology[1,2,3,4]

  • Crystalline Fe NWs were grown inside porous anodic alumina (PAA) templates into pores of 35 nm diameter, typical from oxalic acid self-organized regime anodization (Fig. 1a)

  • Cross-section scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images revealed no defects along the PAA template and each wire was continuous and homogeneous (Fig. 1b)

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Summary

Introduction

Iron oxides have attracted much interest for their potential application in nanotechnology[1,2,3,4]. Quantum confinement in very thin nanostructures, such as nanotubes with extremely thin walls, can be used to tune the band edges and band gap of a semiconductor for photoelectrochemical applications[19] In this way, template-assisted methods are advantageously providing a highly flexible and controlled template that shapes the desired nanoparticle to the intended dimensions. A novel and scalable fabrication method of crystalline α-Fe2O3 double-walled NTs grown on porous anodic alumina (PAA) templates with controllable dimensions is here reported. 1D Fe nanostructures grown inside PAA templates were converted into the desired α-Fe2O3 phase with double walled NT morphology by combining a controlled selective chemical etching and the Kirkendall effect through an annealing route. The key role of the Kirkendall effect, to obtain double-walled nanostructures instead of reported single-walled, is here addressed

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