Submicrometer-sized hollow hematite particles were prepared through a surfactant-assisted solvothermal process. The amount of (FeCl3H2O)-H-. and cetyltrimethylammonium bromide, and the acidity of the solution were systematically altered to study their effects on the final results. Hollow hematite particles with shapes from sphere, ellipsoid to peanut were obtained. Their sizes range from 500 nm to 2 mu m with shell thickness from 100 to 500 nm. Powder X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy and selected area electron diffraction were applied to investigate the products' crystallinity, purity, morphology, size and structural features. Finally, the study on the photocatalysis of Fe2O3 for the destruction of diethyl phthalate in water was carried out. The result proved that Fe2O3 hollow particles were effective photocatalysts for the degradation of DEP, with 96.8% destruction ratio being obtained within 60 min. (c) 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.