New Synthesis and Magnetic Properties of NiFe2O4/SiO2 and Co0.5Zn0.5Fe2O4/SiO2 Nanocomposites Using Tetraglycolatosilane as Precursor

In this work the new synthesis and magnetic properties of NiFe₂O₄/SiO₂ and Co_0.5Zn_0.5Fe₂O₄/SiO₂ nanocomposites using a water‐soluble silica precursor, tetraglycolatosilane (THEOS), by the sol‐gel method were reported. Nanocomposite were obtained by the thermal decomposition of the organic part at different annealing temperatures varying from 400 to 900 °C. Studies carried out using XRD, FT‐IR, TEM, STA (TG‐DTG‐DTA) and VSM techniques. XRD patterns show that NiFe₂O₄ and Co_0.5Zn_0.5Fe₂O₄ have been formed in an amorphous silica matrix at annealing temperatures above 600 and 400 °C, respectively. It is found that when the annealing temperature is up to 900 °C NiFe₂O₄/SiO₂ and Co_0.5Zn_0.5Fe₂O₄/SiO₂ samples show almost superparamagnetic behavior with a magnetization 4.66 emu/g and ferromagnetic behavior with a magnetization 10.11 emu/g, respectively. The magnetization and coercivity values of nanocomposites using THEOS were considerably less than previous reports using TEOS. THEOS as a silica matrix network provides an ideal nucleation environment to disperse ferrite nanoparticles and thus to confine them to aggregate and coarsen. By using THEOS over the currently used TEOS and TMOS, organic solvents are not needed due to the entire solubility of THEOS in water. Synthesized nanocomposites with adjustable particle sizes and controllable magnetic properties make the applicability of ferrites even more versatile.     

Preparation of magnetic CoFe2O4-functionalized graphene sheets via a facile hydrothermal method and their adsorption properties

Magnetic CoFe₂O₄-functionalized graphene sheets (CoFe₂O₄-FGS) nanocomposites have been synthesized by hydrothermal treatment of inorganic salts and thermal exfoliated graphene sheets. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) observations show that cobalt ferrite nanoparticles with sizes of 10-40 nm are well dispersed on graphene sheets. OH⁻ was recognized as a tie to integrate the inorganic salts with the graphene sheets, which made reaction started and developed on the surface of graphene sheets and formed cobalt ferrite nanoparticles on graphene sheets. The adsorption kinetics investigation revealed that the adsorption of methyl orange from aqueous solution over the as-prepared CoFe₂O₄-FGS nanocomposites followed pseudo-second-order kinetic model and the adsorption capacity was examined as high as 71.54 mg g⁻¹. The combination of the superior adsorption of FGS and the magnetic properties of CoFe₂O₄ nanoparticles can be used as a powerful separation tool to deal with water pollution.     

Preparation of hybrid fluorescent-magnetic nanoparticles for application to cellular imaging by self-assembly

A unique fluorescent-magnetic hybrid bimodal nanocomposite was prepared by the layer-by-layer self-assembly (LbL) technique fabrication of water-soluble conjugated polymers (CPs) onto the CoFe₂O₄@SiO₂ core-shell nanoparticles (NPs). First, magnetic CoFe₂O₄ nanoparticles were prepared as the magnetic core and coated with a SiO₂ shell to obtain a good dispersion in aqueous solution. Then the polyelectrolytes and cationic conjugated polymer PFV was assembled onto the surface of core-shell nanoparticles by the LbL technique. The prepared nanocomposites were magnetically responsive and fluorescent, simultaneously. Finally, the biomacromolecule heparin sodium (HS) was then assembled on the outer layer of the nanocomposite to provide a cytocompatible surface. The nanocomposites show monodispersity, good fluorescence and good biocompatibility that are useful for efficient cellular imaging. Moreover, the colloidal stability and the cellular uptake ability of the nanocomposition with HS layer were efficiently improved.     

Comparative study of the synthesis of CoFe<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>4</Subscript> and NiFe<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>4</Subscript> in silica through the polymerized complex route of the sol–gel method

In this work the synthesis of CoFe₂O₄-SiO₂ and NiFe₂O₄-SiO₂ nanocomposites was studied via the sol–gel method, using the polymerized complex route. The polymerized precursors obtained by the reaction of citric acid, ethylene glycol, tetraethylorthosilicate, ferric nitrate, and cobalt nitrate or nickel chloride were characterized by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and infrared (IR) spectroscopy. NMR and IR spectra of the precursors, without and with metallic ions, show the formation of polymeric chains with ester and ether groups and complexes of metal-polymeric precursor. The nanocomposites were obtained by the thermal decomposition of the organic fraction and characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and vibrating sample magnetometry (VSM). XRD patterns show the formation of CoFe₂O₄ and NiFe₂O₄ in an amorphous silica matrix above 400 °C in both cases. When the calcination temperature was 800 °C the particle size of the crystalline phases, calculated using the Scherrer equation, reached ∼35 nm for the two oxides. VSM plots show the ferrimagnetic behavior that is expected for this type of magnetic material; the magnetization at 12.5 KOe of the CoFe₂O₄-SiO₂ and NiFe₂O₄-SiO₂ compounds was 29.5 and 17.4 emu/g, respectively, for samples treated at 800 °C.     

Synthesis of multielement ferrites and their silica composites

Ferrites of composition M_0.2Co_0.4Zn_0.4Fe₂O₄ with M = Cu²⁺, Mn²⁺ and Ni²⁺ were prepared by citrate complex method. Later, their composites with silica have also been obtained by a simple route. The citrate complex precursors of multielement ferrites were characterized by FTIR spectroscopy and thermal analysis, been found a similar behavior for the three systems. The thermal treatment (at 400, 600 and 800 °C) of precursors gives, as result, the spinel type cubic ferrite pure when the ions substituted were copper and nickel; when manganese was used an hematite phase was obtained as contaminant at 800 °C. The presence of all ions involved and the particle size was corroborated by EDX analysis and measured from a TEM micrograph, respectively. The magnetic parameters related to magnetic properties, magnetization and coercivity, were different depending of the chemical composition of the ferrite and the thermal treatment temperature, as it was expected. At room temperature, the values obtained were near to those reported for Co-ferrite in bulk. The synthesis route of the composites M_0.2Co_0.4Zn_0.4Fe₂O₄-SiO₂, proposed in this work, gives as result magnetic nanoparticles in an amorphous silica matrix. Their magnetic properties were depending on weight percentage of the magnetic phase in the composite.     

Magnetic properties and dye adsorption capacities of silica–hematite nanocomposites with well-defined structures prepared in surfactant solutions

Silica–hematite (α-Fe₂O₃) nanocomposites were synthesized by addition of aqueous solution containing ferrous ions (Fe²⁺), cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) as a surfactant and tert-butanol (t-butanol) as a cosurfactant into colloidal silica solution. At alkaline atmosphere, silica surface with negative charges electrostatically attracts positively-charged iron hydroxide nuclei or particles which are stabilized by cationic CTAB molecules, and then silica–iron compound composites could be formed. Finally, the silica–hematite composite particles were obtained after calcination at 800 °C for 4 h. Through these processes, two types of composites having “core–shell type” or “decorated type” could be achieved. Morphology, BET surface area, crystallinity and magnetic properties of samples were analyzed by using TEM, BET, XRD and VSM, respectively. The “decorated type” composites had larger BET surface area and better magnetization. Also, to estimate the application in water treatment, adsorption properties of composites were studied through methylene blue (MB) adsorption which was characterized by UV–vis spectroscopy, involving collection of composites with neodymium magnet.     

Studies on the magnetism of cobalt ferrite nanocrystals synthesized by hydrothermal method

Fe-Co/CoFe₂O₄ nanocomposite and CoFe₂O₄ nanopowders were prepared by the hydrothermal method. The structure of magnetic powders were characterized by X-ray diffraction diffractometer (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), thermal gravity analysis (TGA) and differential thermal analysis (DTA) analysis, X-ray photoelectron spectrometry (XPS), and Fourier transform infrared spectra (FTIR) techniques, while magnetic properties were determined by using a vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM) at room temperature. The effects of hydrothermal reaction conditions on magnetic properties were also discussed in details. The values of saturation magnetization (M_s) and coercive fore (H_c) for Fe-Co/CoFe₂O₄ nanocomposite are 113 emu/g and 1.4 kOe, respectively. Furthermore, CoFe₂O₄ ferrite with a single-domain critical size of 70 nm was fabricated by controlling the hydrothermal reaction conditions carefully, which presents high coercive force (ca. 4.6 kOe) and high squareness ratio (ca. 0.65). One interesting thing is M_s value of CoFe₂O₄ ferrite with a diameter of 40 nm is 86 emu/g which is comparable to that of the bulk counterpart.     

Study on synthesis of superparamagnetic spinel cobalt ferrite nanoparticles as layered double hydroxides by co-precipitation method

Cobalt ferrite layered double hydroxide (LDH) nanoparticles with cubic structure were synthesized by the co-precipitation method: addition of NaOH solution to a solution of Co²⁺ and Fe³⁺. Formation of nanoparticles was confirmed by XRD, SEM, TEM, PSA, FT-IR, TGA, DSC, and magnetic characteristics were measured using VSM. Crystals produced by calcination at 900°C possessed high coercivity and pronounced physical and chemical stability. Nanoparticles of CoFe₂O₄ formed outer layers with poor crystallization on the surface of cobalt ferrite nanocrystals.     

Synthesis and characterization of poly(ɛ-caprolactone)/Fe3o4 nanocomposites by in situ polymerization

A series of magnetic nanocomposites based on poly(?-caprolactone) (PCL) and Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles were prepared using a facile in situ polymerization method. The chemical structures of the PCL/Fe₃O₄ nanocomposites were characterized by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. Results of wide-angle X-ray diffraction (WAXD) showed that the incorporation of the Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles did not affect the crystallization structure of the PCL. Both scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) were used to characterize the morphology and dispersion of the Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles within the as-synthesized nanocomposites. Results of differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and polarizing optical microscopy (POM) showed that the crystallization temperature was raised and the spherulites size decreased by the presence of Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles in the nanocomposites due to the heterogeneous nucleation effect. The thermal stability of the PCL was depressed by incorporation of Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles from thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The superparamagnetic behavior of the PCL/Fe₃O₄ nanocomposites was testified by the superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID) magnetometer analysis. The obtained biodegradable nanocomposites will have a great potential in magnetic resonance imaging contrast and targeted drug delivery.     

High-yield synthesis and characterization of monodisperse sub-microsized CoFe2O4 octahedra

In this study, sub-microsized CoFe₂O₄ octahedra with a high yield are synthesized via a simple hydrothermal route under mild conditions. The as-prepared products are characterized by conventional techniques of XRD, SEM, TEM, ED and HR-TEM. The results show that the as-synthesized sample exhibits octahedral morphology with a narrow size distribution. The edge size of CoFe₂O₄ octahedra is estimated to be about 0.10-0.14 μm. The growth process is also monitored by time and temperature-dependent observation. It is found that the reaction temperature has no obvious influence on the product morphology but a significant effect on the size of CoFe₂O₄ octahedra, while the reaction time determines the final morphology of the product. Moreover, it is displayed that the citrate ions play a key role in the formation of CoFe₂O₄ octahedra. Furthermore, the possible growth mechanism of the sub-microsized CoFe₂O₄ octahedra is discussed on the basis of a series of experiments. Magnetic measurements show that sub-micro-sized CoFe₂O₄ octahedra exhibit obvious ferromagnetic behaviors. The saturation magnetization (M_s), remanent magnetization (M_r), and coercivity (H_c) are determined to be 85.8, 29.2 emu/g and 892 Oe, respectively.     

铁酸钴纳米粒子:室温下点击合成亚芳基巴比妥酸衍生物的高效可磁性分离多相催化剂(英文)

A coprecipitation method was used to synthesize superparamagnetic CoFe2O4 nanoparticles without using any capping agents/surfactants. The prepared nanoparticles were characterized using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, a vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM), N2 adsorption and thermogravimetric/differential thermal analysis/differential thermal gravimetry techniques. The synthesized spinel CoFe2O4 nanoparticles had an average size of 2-8 nm with a high surface area (140.9 m2/g). The field-dependent magnetization, demonstrated by VSM and saturation magnetization, was found to be 1.77 emu/g. An efficient method was used for the synthesis of arylidene barbituric acid derivatives using CoFe2O4 magnetic nanoparticles as a magnetically separable and reusable catalyst in aqueous ethanol. The attractive features of this synthetic protocol were very short reaction time, high yields, high turnover frequency, simple work-up procedure, economy, a clean reaction methodology, and chemoselectivity, as well as provision of an ecofriendly and green synthesis.     

A simple solvothermal synthesis of MFe2O4 (M=Mn, Co and Ni) nanoparticles

Nanoparticles of MFe₂O₄ (M=Mn, Co and Ni), with diameters ranging from 5 to 10 nm, have been obtained through a solvothermal method. In this synthesis, an alcohol (benzyl alcohol or hexanol) is used as both a solvent and a ligand; it is not necessary, therefore, to add a surfactant, simplifying the preparation of the dispersed particles. We have studied the influence of the synthetic conditions (temperature, time of synthesis and nature of solvent) on the quality of the obtained ferrites and on their particle size. In this last aspect, we have to highlight that the solvent plays an important role on the particle size, obtaining the smallest diameters when hexanol was used as a solvent. In addition, the magnetic properties of the obtained compounds have been studied at room temperature (RT). These compounds show a superparamagnetic behaviour, as was expected for single domain nanoparticles, and good magnetization values. The maxima magnetization values of the MFe₂O₄ samples are quite high for such small nanoparticles; this is closely related to the high crystallinity of the particles obtained by the solvothermal method.     

Interaction of Inorganic Nanoparticles with Graphene

The changes in the electronic and magnetic properties of graphene induced by interaction with semiconducting oxide nanoparticles such as ZnO and TiO₂ and with magnetic nanoparticles such as Fe₃O₄, CoFe₂O₄, and Ni are investigated by using Raman spectroscopy, magnetic measurements, and first‐principles calculations. Significant electronic and magnetic interactions between the nanoparticles and graphene are found. The findings suggest that changes in magnetization as well as the Raman shifts are directly linked to charge transfer between the deposited nanoparticles and graphene. The study thus demonstrates significant effects in tailoring the electronic structure of graphene for applications in futuristic electronic devices.     

Non-Stoichiometric CoFe2O4 Nanoparticles Supported on an Amorphous Silica Matrix

Non-Stoichiometric CoFe₂O₄ nanoparticles dispersed in an silica matrix with a silica content of 87 wt% and Co/Fe molar ratio of 1:1, were prepared by the sol-gel method using an ethanolic solution of tetraethoxysilane and either iron(III) and cobalt(II) nitrates or iron(II) and cobalt(II) acetates. The influence of different metal precursors on the xerogels were examined by X-Ray Diffraction (XRD), Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) and N₂ physisorption measurements at 77 K. Magnetic properties of the samples were investigated by field cooled FC and zero field cooled ZFC measurements.Depending on the metal precursor, different spinel oxides of a few nanometers were observed in the samples treated at 350°C. After heating at 900°C non-stoichiometric CoFe₂O₄ was formed in both samples, whose average particle size was only slightly larger than in samples treated at 350°C.     

CoFe2O4@TiO2@Au Core-Shell Structured Microspheres: Synthesis and Photocatalyltic Properties

A facile and efficient method for fabrication of magnetic composite microspheres CoFe₂O₄@TiO₂@Au is demonstrated. The shells of anatase TiO₂ were coated onto a magnetic CoFe₂O₄ core via liquid-phase deposition procedure, and then Au nanoparticles were deposited onto CoFe₂O₄@TiO₂ microspheres through seed-mediated growth. XRD, TEM, and VSM were used to investigate the structure, morphology and magnetic properties of the samples, their photocatalytic activity were also tested. Heterostructure of CoFe₂O₄@TiO₂@Au was confirmed by different measurements. Compared to unmodified CoFe₂O₄@TiO₂ microspheres, CoFe₂O₄@TiO₂@Au microspheres showed higher photocatalytic activity for Rhodamine B (RhB) degradation in water.

     

Characterization of Porous Nanocomposites Formed by Cobalt Ferrites Dispersed in Sol-Gel Silica Matrix

Composites of cobalt ferrite particles dispersed in a silica matrix (CoFe₂O₄/SiO₂) were prepared by the sol-gel process using tetraethylorthosilicate (TEOS) as a precursor of silica and metallic nitrates as precursors of ferrite. Samples of SiO₂ and CoFe₂O₄/SiO₂ were prepared in monolithic shape, dried at 110^∘C, treated at various temperatures and their characteristics were compared. After the thermal treatment, the surface area of the silica matrix decreased, above 700^∘C it densified, and above 1100^∘C it crystallized. The same heat treatment in the composite led to the crystallization of CoFe₂O₄ particles in the SiO₂ matrix and the increase in particle size, with the consequent increase in magnetization. The presence of particles in the matrix reinforced its structure, avoiding large changes in surface area and porosity and in the structure of the matrix after high temperature thermal treatment.     

Thermal behavior of Co<Subscript>x</Subscript>Fe<Subscript>3−x</Subscript>O<Subscript>4</Subscript>/SiO<Subscript>2</Subscript> nanocomposites obtained by a modified sol–gel method

The thermal behavior of Co_xFe_3?xO₄/SiO₂ nanocomposites obtained by direct synthesis starting from nonahydrate ferric nitrate and hexahydrate cobalt nitrate in different ratios with and without the addition of 1,4-butanediol was studied. For the synthesis of Co_xFe_3?xO₄ (x = 0.5–2.5) dispersed in the silica matrix a wide Co/Fe molar ratio was used. The decomposition processes, formation of crystalline phases, gases evolvement and mass changes during gels annealing at different temperatures were assessed by thermal analysis. The absence of succinate precursor and a low mass loss were observed in the case of the gel obtained in the absence of 1,4-butanediol. In case of gels obtained using a stoichiometric ratio of Co/Fe, no clear delimitation between Co and Fe succinates was observed, while for samples with a Fe or Co excess, the formation of the two succinates was observed. The evolution of the crystalline phase after annealing (673, 973 and 1273 K) investigated by X-ray diffraction analysis and Fourier transformed infrared spectrometry revealed that in samples with Fe excess, stoichiometric Fe/Co ratio or low Co excess, the cobalt ferrite (CoFe₂O₄) was obtained as a single phase, while in samples with higher cobalt excess, olivine (Co₂SiO₄) as a main phase, cobalt oxide and CoFe₂O₄ as secondary phases were obtained after annealing at 1273 K. The SEM images confirmed the nanoparticles embedding in the silica matrix, while the TEM and X-ray diffraction data showed that the obtained nanoparticles’ size was below 10 nm in most samples.     

Characterisation of nickel–zinc ferrite/silica nanocomposites with low ferrite concentration obtained by an improved modified sol–gel method

The paper presents a study regarding the structure, morphology and magnetic behaviour of x% (Ni_0.65Zn_0.35Fe₂O₄)/(100 − x)% SiO₂ ferrimagnetic nanocomposites for low Ni–Zn ferrite concentration (x = 5, 10, 15, 20 and 30 mass percent) obtained by an improved modified sol–gel method. The obtained gels and nanocomposites have been characterized by fast Fourier transform-infrared (FT-IR) spectrometry, X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and magnetic measurements (MM). The addition of a supplementary quantity of diol in the synthesis, corresponding to a molar ratio EG : TEOS = 1:1, and the control of the thermal treatment applied to the precursor xerogels tetraethylortosilicate (TEOS)–metal nitrates (MN)–ethylene glycol (EG) leads to fine (~2–9 nm), almost spherical Ni–Zn ferrite nanoparticles homogenously dispersed inside the amorphous SiO₂ matrix. TEM images reveal the fine nature and the narrow size distribution of the ferrite nanoparticles. Nanoparticles diameter increases with the ferrite concentration and with the annealing temperature. For all concentrations of ferrite in SiO₂ and all annealing temperature, we have obtained Ni_0.65Zn_0.35Fe₂O₄ ferrite as single phase (proven by XRD) in the amorphous silica matrix, only after a pre-treatment of synthesized gels, at 573 K, for 3 h. The magnetic behaviour of ferrite nanoparticles in quasi-static magnetic fields is very particular, depending on the annealing temperature and the ferrite content in silica matrix. We have obtained superparamagnetic behaviour for the nanocomposites, for a concentration of 30% ferrite in SiO₂ at high annealing temperature, of 1,273 K.     

An easy synthesis of nanostructured magnetite-loaded functionalized carbon spheres and cobalt ferrite

An easy method in a solvothermal system has been developed to synthesize nanostructured magnetite (Fe₃O₄)-loaded functionalized carbon spheres (CSs) and cobalt ferrite (CoFe₂O₄). Surface-tunable CSs loaded with iron oxide (Fe₃O₄) nanoparticles were prepared using an acetylferrocene Schiff base (OPF), whereas spinel cobalt ferrite (CoFe₂O₄) was synthesized via metal complexes of a ferrocenyl Schiff base with phenol moiety (Co-OPF). The formed composite powder was investigated using X-ray powder diffraction, Raman spectrometry, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, and vibrating sample magnetometry. It was found that most of the iron oxide nanoparticles were evenly distributed upon the surface of the CSs. Furthermore, the surface of the iron oxide-loaded CSs has large numbers of functional groups. Good saturation magnetization was achieved for the formed magnetic nanoparticles.     

Characterization and magnetic exchange observation for CoFe2O4–CoFe2 nanocomposite microfibers

The magnetic hard-soft CoFe₂O₄–CoFe₂ nanocomposite microfibers have been synthesized by the sol–gel and partial reduction process, where CoFe₂O₄ ferrite is the hard phase with a grain size range from 43 to 62 nm and CoFe₂ alloy the soft phase with grain sizes around 30 nm. These nanocomposite microfibers exhibit the magnetization behavior like a single phase magnetic material, and the magnetic exchange coupling effects are observed between the hard and soft phases. The specific saturation magnetization of CoFe₂O₄–CoFe₂ nanocomposite microfibers shows an increase tendency with the increasing weight fraction of CoFe₂, while the coercivity is consequently reduced. The nanocomposite microfibers have a maximum remanence 51.7 Am²/kg when the phase contents of CoFe₂ around 28 wt% and CoFe₂O₄ about 72 wt%.