We report a new route of akaganéite (β-FeOOH) formation and maghemite (γ-Fe2O3) formation. Akaganéite can be produced by stirring Fe2+ at room temperature for a day under mild conditions. We used FeCl2 ·4H2O as the precursor and mixed it with the Na-rich particle from the oxidation debris solution. The role of the concentration ratio between graphene oxide (GO) and NaOH was addressed to generate oxidation debris (OD) on the surface. In particular, the characterization of OD by transmission electron microscope (TEM) imaging provides clear evidence for the crystal formation of Na-rich particle under electron beam irradiation. For the base treatment process, increasing the concentration of a NaOH in Na-rich solution contributed primarily to the formation of γ-Fe2O3. The characterization by scanning electron microscope (SEM) and TEM showed that the morphology was changed from needle-like to small-oval form. In addition, β-FeOOH can be effectively produced directly using GO combined with FeCl2 ·4H2O at room temperature. More specifically, the role of parent material (Hummer's GO and Brodie's GO) was discussed, and the crystal transformation was identified. Our results concluded that β-FeOOH can be formed in basic and acidic conditions.

The composites of alginate, carbon nanotube, and iron(III) oxide were prepared for the removal of heavy metal in aqueous pollutant. Both alginate and carbon nanotube were used as an adsorbent material and iron oxide was introduced for the easy recovery after removal of heavy metal to eliminate the secondary pollution. The morphology of composites was investigated by FE-SEM showing the carbon nanotubes coated with alginate and the iron oxide dispersed in the alginate matrix. The ferromagnetic properties of composites were shown by including iron(III) oxide additive. The copper ion removal was investigated with ICP AES. The copper ion removal efficiency increased greatly over 60% by using alginate-carbon nanotube composites.

Maghemite and hematite nanospheres were synthesized by using the Sol-gel technique. The structural properties of these nanosphere powders were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), and pore size distribution. Hematite phase shows crystalline structures. The mean particle size that resulted from BET and XRD analyses were 4.9 nm and 2 nm. It can be seen from transmission electron microscopy that the size of the particles are very small which is in good agreement with the FESEM and the X-ray diffraction. The BET and pore size method were employed for specific surface area determination.