Facile Synthesis of Fe3O4@g-C Nanorods for Reversible Adsorption of Molecules and Absorption of Ions

It is an interesting but challenging task to design a facile and scalable procedure for the making of multifunctional materials for energy and environmental applications. Here, we developed a one-pot facile procedure for the preparation of disordered carbon (a-C) coated Fe2O3 nanorods. By heating Fe2O3@a-C nanorods under argon, they were easily converted to graphite carbon (g-C) coated magnetic Fe3O4, or Fe3O4@g-C, nanorods. We demonstrated that the as-prepared magnetic Fe3O4@g-C nanorods could reversibly store molecules, using dye as a model. This suggested that one of the possible applications would be as recyclable and reusable adsorbents for water remediation. At the same time, the magnetic Fe3O4@g-C nanorods are proposed as vehicles for the controlled release of drugs in an aqueous environment and, in particular, for the targeted treatment of infected regions through guided external magnetic forces. The Fe3O4@g-C nanorods were also investigated for their performances in the reversible storage of sodi...