A hydrothermal process was adopted to synthesize mesoporous α-Fe2O3 materials using cellulose nanocrystals as template, andits photocatalytic performance on degradation of dye was investigated. The characteristic results through XRD and N2adsorption showed that the mesoporous α-Fe2O3 was successfully prepared, which possessed an average pore size of 39.5 nmand surface area of 46.5 m2 g−1. The photocatalytic capacity of the synthesized mesoporous α-Fe2O3 was determined byfollowing the degradation of methylene blue (MB) under visible-light irradiation conditions, and the results showed that thesample prepared with CNC exhibited better photocatalytic activity under the condition studied than that prepared withoutCNC. These results demonstrated that thus prepared mesoporous α-Fe2O3 would have a great potential to be used as a catalystin degrading organic dyes during a typical industrial wastewater treatment.

Keywords: Hydrothermal synthesis, Cellulose nanocrystals (CNC), Template, Mesoporous α-Fe2O3, Photocatalysis