Synthesis and electromagnetic properties of polyaniline-coated silica/maghemite nanoparticles

Polyaniline coated silica/maghemite nanoparticles (PANI/SiO₂/γ-Fe₂O₃ composites) were synthesized by the combination of a sol-gel process and an in-situ polymerization method, in which ferrous and ferric salts as well as tetraethyl orthosilica (TEOS) acted as the precursor for γ-Fe₂O₃ and silica, respectively. As a result, the SiO₂/γ-Fe₂O₃ particle showed a core-shell structure, with γ-Fe₂O₃ as the magnetic core and silica as the shell of the particle. The shell thickness can be controlled by changing the TEOS concentration. The PANI/SiO₂/γ-Fe₂O₃ composites revealed a multilayer core-shell structure, where PANI is the outer shell of the composite. The doping level and the conductivity of PANI/SiO₂/γ-Fe₂O₃ composites decreased with increasing the TEOS content due to the presence of the less coated PANI on the SiO₂/γ-Fe₂O₃ core at higher TEOS content. For a SQUID analysis at room temperature, all γ-Fe₂O₃ containing composites showed a typical superparamagnetic behavior. The saturation magnetization of SiO₂/γ-Fe₂O₃ nanoparticles decreased with increasing the TEOS content due to the increase in silica shell thickness, while the saturation magnetization of PANI/SiO₂/γ-Fe₂O₃ composites also decreased with increasing the TEOS content, which is attributed to the lower conductivity of PANI in the composites at higher TEOS content.     

Increase of γ-Fe2O3/CNT composite quantum capacitance by structural design for performance optimization of electrode materials

Performance optimization of electrode materials for lithium-ion batteries is one the most important scientific problems. In this paper, we suggest structural design of γ-Fe₂O₃/CNT composite for increase of its quantum capacitance that is required by modern energy storage devices capable of quick transfer or accumulation of energy and ensuring long-term autonomous operation. For this goal, we investigate the specific quantum capacitance of the γ-Fe₂O₃/CNT composites with a different content of maghemite by quantum chemical methods. The content of maghemite is varied by length of CNTs as well as by number of γ-Fe₂O₃ unit cell the weight ratio equals 13.71%, 20.74%, 26.69%, and 34.30%. It is found that the quantum capacitance grows with increasing maghemite concentration. Calculations show that the value of QC at the Fermi level for γ-Fe₂O₃/CNT is correlated with the theoretical specific capacity of the material. Proposed in this work approach to calculating the quantum capacitance with further analysis of its dependence on voltage can be an effective tool for optimizing the content of the composite with the aim of balancing the Faradaic and non-Faradaic component of its functional activity.     

High Temperature Stable Maghemite Nanoparticles Sandwiched between Hectorite Nanosheets

Maghemite (γ-Fe₂O₃) is a metastable iron oxide phase and usually undergoes fast phase transition to hematite at elevated temperatures (>350 °C). Maghemite nanoparticles were synthesized by the polyol method and then intercalated into a highly swollen (>100 nm separation) nematic phase of hectorite. A composite of maghemite nanoparticles sandwiched between nanosheets of synthetic hectorite was obtained. The confinement of the nanoparticles hampered Ostwald ripening up to 700 °C and consequently the phase transition to hematite is suppressed. Only above 700 °C γ-Fe₂O₃ nanoparticles started to grow and undergo phase transition to α-F₂O₃. The structure and the phase transition of the composite was evaluated using X-ray diffraction, TEM, SEM, physisorption, TGA/DSC, and Mößbauer spectroscopy.     

Water-Soluble Magnetic Nanocomposites Based on Carboxymethyl Cellulose and Iron(III) Oxide

The one-step synthesis of water-soluble composites from maghemite (γ-Fe₂O₃) nanoparticles with a diameter of 12 ± 4 nm and a biocompatible polysaccharide, namely, sodium salt of carboxymethyl cellulose, is described. The role of the polymer matrix consists in stabilization of the resulting nanoparticles by the electrostatic interaction of polymer carboxyl groups with the surface atoms of iron in the (3+) oxidation state. The dissolution of the composites in water affords aggregatively stable dispersions responding to the external magnetic field. The content of the magnetic phase (iron oxide) in the formulation of the maghemite–carboxymethyl cellulose composite is defined by the ratio of components during the synthesis.     

Role of surface spins on magnetization of Cr2O3 coated γ-Fe2O3 nanoparticles

Effect of surface spins in chromium oxide (Cr₂O₃) coated maghemite (γ-Fe₂O₃) nanoparticles (13 nm) as prepared by microwave plasma technique have been studied in detail. The temperature dependent zero field cooled/field cooled (ZFC/FC) measurements revealed the blocking temperature at T_B = 75 K. Simulated ZFC/FC curves exhibited large value of effective anisotropy of Cr₂O₃ coated γ-Fe₂O₃ nanoparticles as compared to bulk γ-Fe₂O₃ but less than bare γ-Fe₂O₃ nanoparticles. Bloch's law was fitted on M_S-T data and revealed the values of Bloch's constant B = 3.523 × 10⁻⁴ K^−b and Bloch's exponent b = 1.10. The higher value of B than in bulk is due to weaker exchange coupling J (B ̴ 1/J) on the surface of nanoparticle due to disorder surface spins, while lower value of b is due to no spin wave excitation in presence of large energy band gap at nanoscale. Kneller's law fit on H_C-T data deviated in all temperature range which is due to strong surface anisotropy, core-shell interactions and superparamagnetism. Interparticle interactions and spin glass behavior were investigated by using different physical laws for f-dependent ac susceptibility and they confirmed the presence of spin glass behavior which is due to disordered frozen surface spins and random interparticle interactions.     

Polypyrrole/γ-Fe2O3 magnetic nanocomposites synthesized in supercritical fluid

Polypyrrole/iron oxide (PPy/γ-Fe₂O₃) nanocomposites were synthesized by in situ oxidative polymerization of pyrrole in the presence of surface modified γ-Fe₂O₃ in supercritical carbon dioxide (scCO₂). The structural properties of nanocomposite particles thus obtained were characterized by FT-IR, thermal analysis (TGA), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). It was found that ca. 50 nm γ-Fe₂O₃ nanoparticles were well dispersed in PPy powder in TEM pictures. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analysis also support that all γ-Fe₂O₃ nanoparticles are encapsulated by PPy. Magnetic property of the nanocomposites was measured by SQUID, which indicated that the nanocomposites are superparamagnetic. The effects of different loadings of γ-Fe2O3 on the polymerization were also investigated.     

Microwave-assisted one-step hydrothermal synthesis of pure iron oxide nanoparticles: magnetite, maghemite and hematite

A simple, rapid, one-step synthesis way of pure iron oxide nanoparticles: magnetite (Fe₃O₄), maghemite (γ-Fe₂O₃) and hematite (α-Fe₂O₃) was investigated. Nanoparticles were prepared by microwave synthesis, from ethanol/water solutions of chloride salts of iron (FeCl₂ and FeCl₃) in the presence of sodium hydroxide NaOH. X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) were used to characterize these nanoparticles.     

Thermal and Magnetic Properties of Maghemite γ-Fe<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>3</Subscript> Synthesized by a Precursor Method

Low-dimension ferromagnetic maghemite γ-Fe₂O₃ was synthesized through a precursor route, using basic iron formate Fe(OH)(HCOO)₂ as a precursor. Conditions of formation of γ-Fe₂O₃ and the temperature range of its existence on heating in air were determined. The saturation magnetization of γ-Fe₂O₃ produced through heating the precursor at 350°C 57.5 (T = 4.2 K) and 43.8 emu/g (T = 300 K).     

Study of Microwave Torch Plasmachemical Synthesis of Iron Oxide Nanoparticles Focused on the Analysis of Phase Composition

This work presents the results obtained on the single-step route towards the synthesis of iron oxide nanoparticles in a microwave plasma torch. The torch is supplied by 660 sccm of Ar mixed with 1 sccm of Fe(CO)₅ and a variable amount of O₂. The influence of oxygen addition on the phase composition of the synthesized powder was studied. Magnetite and maghemite phases could not be distinguished using the standard X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis. Therefore, a combined XRD and Raman spectra analysis had to be applied, which is based on fitting of selected diffraction peaks and spectral features. According to XRD and Raman spectroscopy, the powder synthesized from Ar/Fe(CO)₅ consisted about 50 % of magnetite, Fe₃O₄, the rest being α-Fe and FeO. An increase in oxygen flow rate led to an increase in γ-Fe₂O₃ percentage, at the expense of α-Fe, FeO and Fe₃O₄. Almost pure γ-Fe₂O₃ was synthesized at oxygen flow rates 25–75× higher than the flow rate of Fe(CO)₅. A further increase in the oxygen flow rate led to α-Fe₂O₃ and ε-Fe₂O₃ production. The distributions of nanoparticles’ (NPs) diameters were obtained using transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and dynamic light scattering (DLS). The mean diameter of the NPs measured by TEM was 13 nm while the DLS measurements led to the mean diameter of 12 nm. About 90 % of all particles had the diameter in the range of 5–21 nm but a few larger particles were observed in TEM micrographs.     

Synthesis of mesoporous maghemite with high surface area and its adsorptive properties

Mesoporous maghemite (γ-Fe₂O₃) with high surface area was prepared by the thermal decomposition of Fe–urea complex ([Fe(CON₂H₄)₆](NO₃)₃) with the aid of cetyltrimethyl ammonium bromide (CTAB), and its adsorption ability for the removal of fluoride was investigated. X-ray diffraction (XRD), nitrogen adsorption–desorption measurements, transmission electron micrograph (TEM) observations, and magnetic measurements show that the γ-Fe₂O₃ has a mesoporous structure and its crystallite size, specific surface area, and magnetic properties can be controlled by varying the content of CTAB in [Fe(CON₂H₄)₆](NO₃)₃. The maximum adsorption capacity of the mesoporous γ-Fe₂O₃ for fluoride is estimated to be 7.9 mg/g, which suggests that the mesoporous γ-Fe₂O₃ is an excellent adsorbent for fluoride.     

Combination of α-Fe2O3, CdS and reduced graphene oxide: high-performance and recyclable visible light photocatalysis

A magnetic heterogeneous α-Fe₂O₃/CdS-RGO (RGO: reduced graphene oxide) composite photocatalyst was synthesized using the one-step hydrothermal method. The α-Fe₂O₃ and CdS nanoparticles with a diameter range of 20~60 nm were synchronously loaded/distributed on the surface of RGO. The as-synthesized α-Fe₂O₃/CdS-RGO nanocomposites were analyzed using X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform-infrared spectra, BET surface area, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, UV–Vis diffusive reflectance spectra and Raman spectroscopy. Compared with the pure CdS, α-Fe₂O₃ and α-Fe₂O₃/CdS nanoparticles, the α-Fe₂O₃/CdS-RGO nanocomposites expanded the adsorption range of visible-light, and showed significant photocatalytic performance and cyclic stability for degradation of methylene blue in visible light. Also, the remarkable catalytic performances mainly depend on its special structure of the α-Fe₂O₃/CdS-RGO, which enabled the effective separation of the electron–hole pairs. These attractive features make the α-Fe₂O₃/CdS-RGO nanocomposite to be a photocatalyst with great application potential in water pollutants treatment.     

One‐pot synthesis of magnetic zeolitic imidazolate framework/grapheme oxide composites for the extraction of neonicotinoid insecticides from environmental water samples

Magnetic zeolitic imidazolate framework 67/graphene oxide composites were synthesized by one‐pot method at room temperature for the first time. Electrostatic interactions between positively charged metal ions and both negatively charged graphene oxide and Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles were expected to chemically stabilize magnetic composites to generate homogeneous magnetic products. The additional amount of graphene oxide and stirring time of graphene oxide, Co²⁺, and Fe₃O₄ solution were investigated. The zeolitic imidazolate framework 67 and Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles were uniformly attached on the surface of graphene oxide. The composites were applied to magnetic solid‐phase extraction of five neonicotinoid insecticides in environmental water samples. The main experimental parameters such as amount of added magnetic composites, extraction pH, ionic strength, and desorption solvent were optimized to increase the capacity of adsorbing neonicotinoid insecticides. The results show limits of detection at signal‐to‐noise ratio of 3 were 0.06–1.0 ng/mL under optimal conditions. All analytes exhibited good linearity with correlation coefficients of higher than 0.9915. The relative standard deviations for five neonicotinoid insecticides in environmental samples ranged from 1.8 to 16.5%, and good recoveries from 83.5 to 117.0% were obtained, indicating that magnetic zeolitic imidazolate framework 67/graphene oxide composites were feasible for analysis of trace analytes in environmental water samples.     

Preparation of γ-Fe2O3/SiO2-capsule composites capable of using as drug delivery and magnetic targeting system from hydrophobic iron acetylacetonate and hydrophilic SiO2-capsule

Series of nanocomposites with γ-Fe₂O₃ supported on SiO₂-capsules were prepared by adsorption of hydrophobic iron acetylacetonate on the hydrophilic surface of SiO₂-capsules in the evaporation process of the solvent and then calcination the complex at 450 °C. The adsorption and calcination conditions were studied and the resultant nanaoparticles were characterized by XRD, XRF and TEM in detail. The results indicated that γ-Fe₂O₃ loaded discontinuously but uniformly on the surface of SiO₂-capsules at appropriate content. The specific surface area characterization and doxorubicin hydrochloride release shown although the surface area of the target composites decreased slightly, the nanoparticles still had large potential using as drug delivery and magnetic targeting system.     

Polyaniline nanotubes coated with TiO2&γ-Fe2O3@graphene oxide as a novel and effective visible light photocatalyst for removal of rhodamine B from water

Synthesis of polyaniline-nanotubes (PANI-NT), in the presence of TiO₂ and γ-Fe₂O₃ functionalized graphene oxide (GO), gives a green and magnetically recyclable photocatalyst, TiO₂&γ-Fe₂O₃@GO/PANI-NT. The later orchestrates 94% photocatalytic efficiency in removal of rhodamine B (RB) from water, under simulated solar light irradiation. This is far higher than the 36% observed in the presence of TiO₂&γ-Fe₂O₃@GO alone, where PANI-NT is excluded from the structure. Morphology, composition, and structural properties of our economically sound photocatalyst are characterized by X-ray diffraction, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, thermo-gravimetric, transmission electron microscopy, inductively coupled plasma, RAMAN and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy.     

Facile synthesis of Fe3O4 nanoparticles by reduction phase transformation from γ-Fe2O3 nanoparticles in organic solvent

A phase transformation induced by the reduction of as-synthesized γ-maghemite (γ-Fe₂O₃) nanoparticles was performed in solution by exploiting the reservoir of reduction gas (CO) generated from the incomplete combustion reaction of organic substances in the reactor. Results from X-ray diffraction, color indicator, and magnetic analysis using a SQUID strongly support this phase transformation. Based on this route, monodisperse magnetite (Fe₃O₄) nanoparticles were simply produced in the range from 260 to 300 °C. Almost all aspects of the original γ-Fe₂O₃ nanoparticles, such as shape, size, and monodispersity, were maintained in the produced Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles.     

Solid–liquid phase diagrams of binary mixtures

This study investigates the sorption of toluene and naphthalene by a sodium bentonite (BFN), an organoclay (WS35) and by their respective iron oxide hydrate composites Mag_BFN and Mag_S35. The organic matter content of WS35 and Mag_S35, determined by thermogravimetry, was used to obtain their organic matter sorption coefficients, which show that they are effective sorbents to remove organic contaminants from water, with a higher selectivity for naphthalene than for toluene sorption. The main iron oxide phase present in Mag_BFN and Mag_S35 is maghemite (γ-Fe₂O₃), which allows these sorbents to be separated from the effluent by a magnetic separation process after use.     

Chitosan-mediated synthesis of mesoporous α-Fe2O3 nanoparticles and their applications in catalyzing selective oxidation of cyclohexane

This paper reports the chitosan-mediated synthesis of porous hematite nanoparticles with FeCl₃ as the precursor via a hydrothermal approach at 160 °C. A series of porous chitosan/iron oxide hybrid nanoparticles were obtained via changing the ratio of chitosan to FeCl₃, FeCl₃ concentration and pH value of the reaction solution, and producing porous iron oxide nanoparticles after calcination. The as-prepared samples were characterized by means of X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, thermal gravimetric analysis, Fourier transform infrared, and N₂ sorption. The particle sizes of these metal oxides were less than 100 nm, and the pore sizes were in the range of 2–16 nm. It was demonstrated that chitosan played a key role in the formation of the porous structures. The resultant α-Fe₂O₃ nanoparticles were used as the support to immobilize Au or Pd nanoparticles, producing Au/α-Fe₂O₃ or Pd/α-Fe₂O₃ nanoparticles. The as-prepared α-Fe₂O₃ nanocatalyst exhibited high selectivity towards cyclohexanone and cyclohexanol for catalyzing cyclohexane oxidation with O₂ at 150°C.     

Effects of doping on the thermal stability of spindle-shaped γ-Fe2O3 particles

Spindle-shaped α-FeOOH particles were synthesized using the chemical coprecipitation method in Fe(CO₃)_x(OH)_2(?x) suspensions system by adding metallic ions. The spindle-shaped γ-Fe₂O₃ particles were obtained by dehydration of α-FeOOH, and subsequent reduction and oxidation. Its thermal stability was investigated by differential thermal analysis (DTA). It was found that the transition temperature of γ-Fe₂O₃→α-Fe₂O₃ of samples doped with metallic ions is higher than that of the pure γ-Fe₂O₃ and increasing with increase of the size of the metallic ions, and γ-Fe₂O₃ by doping with two or more different metallic ions together has even higher thermal stability. The origin of the improved thermal stability was discussed. Additionally, the magnetic properties of γ-Fe₂O₃ were measured.     

The Thermal Conversion of Lepidocrocite (γ-FeOOH) Revisited

The thermal conversion of lepidocrocite (γ-FeOOH) into maghemite (γ-Fe₂O₃)and hematite (α-Fe₂O₃) has been studied by dynamic (DSC) and static heating experiments. Dynamic heating defines two main regions: conversion of lepidocrocite to maghemite (endothermal signal peaking at 255°C) and conversion of maghemite to hematite (exothermal signal peaking at 450°C). In addition, an exotherm following the lepidocrocite to maghemite endotherm is observed. The maghemite phase appears as porous aggregates of nanocrystals characterized by an extensive spin-canting. We suggest that the additional exotherm is associated with structural changes and a decreasing extent of spin-canting in the maghemite phase. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Structural studies of magnetic nanoparticles doped with rare-earth elements

Magnetic nanoparticles and those doped with rare-earth metal ions having spinel structure were synthesized, possessing the average particles size of 11.3-13.4 nm. According to Mössbauer spectroscopy data it can be concluded that prepared iron oxide nanoparticles are γ-Fe₂O₃. For materials containing rare-earth elements the decrease of octahedral component surface was observed in comparison to non-doped material, what can be explained by Eu³⁺, Sm³⁺ и Gd³⁺ ions occupying the octahedral position.