Porous hematite (α-Fe2O3) nanorods with the diameter of 20-40 nm and the length of 80-300 nm were synthesized by a simple surfactant-assisted method in the presence of cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB).The α-Fe2O3 nanorods possess a mesostructure with a pore size distribution in the range of 5-12 nm and high surface area,exhibiting high catalytic activity for CO oxidation.CuO nanocrystals were loaded on the surface of porous α-Fe2O3 nanorods by a deposition-precipitation method,and the catalysts exhibited superior activity for catalytic oxidation of CO,as compared with commercial α-Fe2O3 powders supported CuO catalyst.The enhanced catalytic activity was attributed to the strong interaction between the CuO nanocrystals and the support of porous α-Fe2O3 nanorods. Porous hematite (α-Fe2O3) nanorods with the diameter of 20-40 nm and the length of 80-300 nm were synthesized by a simple surfactant-assisted method in the presence of cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB). The α-Fe2O3 nanorods possess a mesostructure with a pore size distribution in the range of 5-12 nm and high surface area, exhibiting high catalytic activity for CO oxidation. CuO nanocrystals were loaded on the surface of porous α-Fe2O3 nanorods by a deposition-precipitation method, and the catalysts knees superior activity for catalytic oxidation of CO, as compared with commercial α-Fe2O3 powders supported CuO catalyst. The enhanced catalytic activity was attributed to the strong interaction between the CuO nanocrystals and the support of porous α-Fe2O3 nanorods.