Research Highlight: Porous Iron Oxide Nanorods for Selective H₂S Adsorption

As part of the IUC-QNU partnership, PhD researcher Thanh Trang Bui and colleagues have developed porous α-Fe₂O₃ (hematite) nanorods with promising potential for the selective adsorption of hydrogen sulfide (H₂S), a toxic gas relevant to environmental and industrial gas treatment. The study has been published in Surfaces and Interfaces (Q1, WoS).

The nanorods were synthesized using a hydrothermal process followed by controlled calcination. By optimizing the synthesis conditions, the researchers obtained a porous α-Fe₂O₃ material after 9 hours of hydrothermal treatment and calcination at 300 °C. The optimized sample exhibited a specific surface area of 68.3 m² g⁻¹ and an average pore diameter of 8.5 nm, providing favorable conditions for gas–solid interactions.

The most significant result was the material’s strong selectivity toward H₂S. It achieved adsorption capacities of 39.8 mg g⁻¹ at 10% breakthrough and 46.7 mg g⁻¹ at 90% breakthrough. In comparison, adsorption of CH₄ was almost negligible (0.02 mg g⁻¹), while CO₂ adsorption was only 2.79 mg g⁻¹. These results demonstrate the promising potential of porous α-Fe₂O₃ nanorods as selective H₂S adsorbents.

The enhanced performance is attributed to the porous nanorod structure, high surface area, and accessible Fe-based surface sites. XPS analysis further indicated the formation of sulfur-containing species after H₂S adsorption, supporting the interaction between H₂S and the material surface.

Beyond the material performance, the study demonstrates how international collaboration within the IUC partnership can combine complementary expertise in material synthesis, characterization, and gas adsorption to address environmental challenges. The findings provide useful guidance for the future development of selective H₂S adsorbents for environmental protection and industrial gas treatment.

Reference

Thanh Trang Bui, Jo De Vrieze, Ewald Janssens, Nguyen Minh Vuong, Property relationships in porous α-Fe₂O₃ nanorods governing selective H₂S adsorption, Surfaces and Interfaces, Volume 99, Article 110762, 2026. DOI: 10.1016/j.surfin.2026.110762.