Monodisperse porous pod-like hematite: Hydrothermal formation, optical absorbance, and magnetic properties

Abstract Uniform monodisperse porous silk-worm pod-like hematite (α-Fe 2 O 3 ) superstructures were efficiently obtained via a facile hydrothermal route. This was realized via the co-precipitation of FeCl 3 and NaOH solutions at room temperature in the presence of H 3 BO 3 , followed by a mild hydrothermal treatment (150 °C, 12.0 h). The UV–vis band is mainly located in the far-UV region, with one intense broadband from 260 to 290 nm. The porous pod-like superstructures exhibit special magnetic properties with a remnant magnetization of 0.22 emu g − 1 and a high coercivity of 3315.5 Oe at room temperature, indicating the as-obtained porous pod-like superstructures of a promising candidate for gas sensors, lithium ion battery, photocatalysis, and water treatment.