Morphology controllable synthesis of α-Fe2O3 1D nanostructures: Growth mechanism and nanodevice based on single nanowire

Abstract

Single crystalline α-Fe2O3 nanoflakes and nanowires are controllably synthesized simply by heating iron foil at different temperatures. The growth mechanisms are proposed based on the electron microscopy results. Electrical transport studies reveal n-type semiconducting behavior of α.-Fe2O3 nanowire. A new type of α-Fe2O3 gas sensor based on single α-Fe 2O3 nanowire as sensing unit is developed. The gas sensing on electron transport through the nanowire is investigated. Moreover, the CO detection sensitivity can be modulated by the gate voltage. Our results indicate that α-Fe2O3 nanowire holds good potential for nanoscale sensing applications. © 2008 American Chemical Society.