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 °C in the presence of a reducing gas (H2) 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 Å, which is nearly equal to the standard value 2.3 Å of FeO. The as-fabricated nanorods can be used for many technological applications.