High acetone-sensing performance of bi-phase α-/γ-Fe2O3 submicron flowers grown using an iron plate

Iron oxide nanostructures have been studied extensively because of their excellent magnetic, optical, electrical, and catalytic properties. This work introduces a simple process to synthesize directly bi-phase α-/γ-Fe2O3 submicron flowers on a Fe foil in NH4OH. The flowers were assembled by using many nanoplates with an estimated thickness of 20–80 nm. The shapes and dimensions of the flowers can be controlled by the treatment time. The gas-sensing properties of the α-/γ-Fe2O3 submicron flowers were investigated at different gas concentrations (125–1500 ppm) and operating temperatures (200–360 °C). The results obtained indicate that the as-synthesized material exhibits an excellent acetone-sensing characteristic and has the potential for practical applications.