A facile approach to the synthesis of bilayer hematite films for efficient photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue dye in aqueous solution

In this study, a novel approach was used for the preparation of α-Fe₂O₃ films via electrodeposition followed by hydrothermal treatment for different time periods. The impacts of the time taken for hydrothermal treatment on the structure and morphology of the electrodeposited films were investigated. According to the X-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy results, the alpha structure type showed a unique pure phase. The α-Fe₂O₃ possessing two phases was revealed for the nanoparticles coated with nanorods by scanning electron microscopy. The energy dispersive X-ray microscopy displayed a remarkable decrease in the intensity of the Tin element due to the formation of nanorods on the nanoparticles. The results showed that the ascending increase in the time for hydrothermal treatment led to significant changes in film morphology and chemical composition with a direct consequence on the photocatalytic performance. The α-Fe₂O₃ films exhibited high efficiency towards the degradation of methylene blue, which was attributed to its structure.