Abstract
Stoichiometric ZnFe2O4 magnetic nanocrystal clusters (MNCs) with an average diameter of 127nm have been successfully synthesized by using a one-step solvothermal method without any additives, where nitrates (Fe(NO3)3 and Zn(NO3)2) were used as reactants. Different characterization techniques were used, such as XRD, ICP-AES, TEM, HRTEM, XPS, and SQUID. The results demonstrate that the stoichiometric ZnFe2O4 is superparamagnetic, and the saturation magnetization (35.9±0.1emu/g at 300K, 78.0±0.1emu/g at 5K) is higher than that reported in some references. However, when FeCl3 and ZnCl2 were used as reactants that replaced the nitrates at the same experimental conditions, ZnFe2O4·40Fe3O4 was synthesized. The NO3− decreased the Fe2+ concentration through oxidation and reduction reactions in the polyol method for the formation of ZnFe2O4. A possible mechanism for the stoichiometric ZnFe2O4 formation was proposed and discussed, based on the time-resolved experiments.
Published Version
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