Carbon-Mediated Oxygen Vacancy Creation at Hematite Interfaces.

ABSTRACT: Nanoscale iron oxides (e.g., hematite (α-Fe₂O₃)) have unique properties, such as enhanced chemical reactivity and high surface area, when compared with their bulk counterparts. These nanoscale surfaces can be more reactive due to the presence of defects (e.g., oxygen vacancies). In this work, we probed the surface chemistry of bulk and nanoscale hematite via X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, electron microscopy, and powder X-ray diffraction. Oxygen exposure and vacuum annealing experiments were conducted to add or remove oxygen vacancies and remove adventitious carbon. In the absence of the oxygen annealing step, vacuum annealing resulted in partial reduction of Fe(III) to Fe(II) on all hematite surfaces. This is a size-dependent effect, with the extent of reduction i

SUBMITTER: Zengotita FE 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12010418 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature