Fe2O3 nanotube films prepared by anodisation as visible light photocatalytic

Highly ordered Fe2O3 nanotube arrays have been fabricated by a simple and cost effective anodisation method on iron foils in an ethylene glycol solution containing NH4F and H2O. The Fe2O3 nanotube electrodes were characterised by field emission SEM, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy and UV-vis absorbance spectra. The resulting Fe2O3 nanotube arrays showed a pore diameter of 50-70 nm and a minimum wall thickness of 20 nm. A band gap value of 2.04 eV was estimated for these Fe2O3 layers. The photocatalytic activity of the Fe2O3 nanotube films was determined by measuring the degradation of methylene blue under visible light to find out its potential application in waste water treatment. Results demonstrated that these Fe2O3 nanotube films possess good photocatalytic.