Influence of the electrokinetic properties of cellulose on the morphology of iron(III) oxide upon template synthesis

Abstract

Microsized tubes and fibers of iron(III) oxide are obtained by the sol-gel method using cotton cellulose as template. The influence of the electrokinetic properties of the surface of cotton cellulose and sols of nanoparticles, as well as the calcination temperature on morphology and the properties of ceramic fibers, is studied. It is noted that the use of sol with a strongly acidic dispersion medium leads to the formation of microtubes, fully repeating the features of the structure of the original cellulose fiber. The mechanism of the formation of fibers and tubes based on electrostatic interactions is proposed. With an increase of the calcination temperature from 600 to 1200°C, there is an increase in the size of the α-Fe₂O₃ particles, a reduction of the inner diameter of the tubes, and an increase of their mechanical strength.