Formation of iron-oxide nanorods on the surface of silicon by using annealing technique

In this article, we report the synthesis of iron-oxide nanorods on silicon (Si) substrates. The nanorods were formed by annealing an iron chloride solution on the surface of a Si at 950 A degrees C in the presence of a reducing gas (H-2) and a diluting gas (Ar). The surface morphologies of the nanorods were investigated by using field-emission scanning electron microscopy, and their compositions and structural characterization were investigated by elemental using energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), respectively. The HRTEM study shows a crystalline formation of the nanorods. The electron diffraction pattern along the viewing (111) direction and the HRTEM result shows an interplanar distance equal to 2.17 , which is nearly equal to the standard value 2.3 of FeO. The as-fabricated nanorods can be used for many technological applications.