The thermal reduction of hydrothermally synthesised α-Fe2O3 nanorods (NRs) to Fe3O4 NRs under hydrogen was investigated. Complete reduction of α-Fe2O3 NRs to Fe3O4 NRs was achieved during in situ X-ray diffraction under 1bar H2 atmosphere at 360C. Complementary environmental transmission electron microscope investigation at high resolution, during in situ heating under an H2 pressure of 5mbar at 500C, provided evidence for the very first stages of transformation, supporting a model for the migration of oxygen along favoured α-Fe2O3 lattice planes during the templated thermal reduction of α-Fe2O3 NRs to Fe3O4 NRs.

Environmental TEM Investigation of the Reduction of α-Fe2O3 Nanorods under H2 Atmosphere. T.P.Almeida, M.W.Fay, Y.Zhu, T.W.Hansen, R.Dunin-Borkowski, P.D.Brown: Journal of Physics - Conference Series, 2012, 371[1], 012049