Synthesis and triethylamine sensing properties of mesoporous α-Fe2O3 microrods

Abstract Mesoporous microrods (MPMRs) of α-Fe 2 O 3 were successfully synthesized via a facile and reliable two-step route by using pre-synthesized FeC 2 O 4 ·2H 2 O as sacrificial template. The prepared samples were characterized by XRD, FESEM, TEM, and N 2 adsorption-desorption, respectively. Results indicated that during the thermal decomposition process, the FeC 2 O 4 ·2H 2 O precursor can pass its morphology on to the α-Fe 2 O 3 product, meanwhile, a large amount of pores with the dominant size around 5 nm were created in the α-Fe 2 O 3 microrods. The BET surface area of the α-Fe 2 O 3 is 122.7 m 2 /g. The sensor fabricated with as-prepared α-Fe 2 O 3 MPMRs exhibited impressive gas-sensing characteristics towards triethylamine (TEA), such as relativity low optimum operating temperature (275 °C), high response, and good linearity in a wide gas concentration range (20–300 ppm), implying its promising application in detecting TEA.