Hydrothermal synthesis of Fe3O4 particles with various shapes

Abstract

Magnetite (Fe3O4) particles with various shapes have been synthesized through a simple hydrothermal reaction. The experimental results reveal that the control of the morphology and size of magnetite particles could be realized by adjusting reaction parameters. The diamond-like and prism-shuttle-like magnetite particles with micro-size are obtained by using Fe3O(OCOCH3)6NO3 and FeCl2·4H2O as iron sources. The rod-like and spherical magnetite particles with nano-size are obtained by using Fe3O(OCOCH3)6NO3 and FeSO4·7H2O as iron sources. Ethylenediamine and hydrazine are used as organic bases. The particle size changed from micro-size to nano-size when FeSO4·7H2O was used as the starting material instead of FeCl2·4H2O. The growth mechanism of magnetite particles also is discussed. The magnetic properties of all magnetite particles exhibit ferromagnetic behavior according to the magnetic hysteresis curve measured at 5 K.