XU Jiliang ¹, ZHANG Jian ¹, WANG Chang'an ²
(1. School of Materials Science and Engineering, Jingdezhen Ceramic Institute, Jingdezhen 333403, Jiangxi, China;
2. State Key Lab of New Ceramics and Fine Processing, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China)

Abstract: Monodisperse Fe₃O₄ nanospheres with uniform particle size distribution were synthesized by a simple solvothermal method, without adding any surfactants and structure directing agents. The morphology, structure and phase composition of the nanospheres were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), N₂ adsorption stripping curves and pore size distribution curves. The measurements revealed that the Fe₃O₄ nanospheres were assembled by 5-10 nm nanocrystallines; with porous structure, their specific surface area reached 41 m²/g. In addition, the formation mechanism of the nanospheres was elaborately analyzed by adjusting the solvothermal reaction temperature and time. It’s confirmed that this preparation method has a strong universality. ZnO and CuO nano- and microspheres have been synthesized with the same or similar experimental parameters. These nanoand microspheres will have a more significant application prospect in the energy- and environment-related fields for the use of li-ion battery anode, supercapacitor, catalysis, etc.

Key words: Fe₃O₄; transition metal oxides; solvothermal method; nanospheres