Solvothermal synthesis of sub‐200 nm Fe 3 O 4 submicrospheres with enhanced catalytic performances by using acicular goethite as solid precursor

A facile and low‐cost chemical method is still in need to make Fe 3 O 4 submicrospheres with the size below 200 nm. In this study, Fe 3 O 4 submicrospheres of ca. 173 nm with soft‐magnetic properties were made by conversion of goethite under solvothermal conditions, and exhibited the good catalytic activity and reusability for selective oxidation of benzyl alcohol to benzaldehyde with H 2 O 2 in water (yield: 43.5–46.2% after being recycled seven times).