Magnetic nanoparticles in toner material

Abstract

Printers and copiers necessitate toner material which is device and therefore company dependent. These materials being part of everyday life and cheap exhibit different toner particles that are microscaled objects consisting of nanoparticles. The differences are related to the chemical composition, the shape and the size.The first aim was to find toner material which contains magnetic substances. The subsequent goal of this investigation was a detailed examination of the material composition, the shape, the size, as well as a possible crystallinity of the micro- and nanoscaled particles from three different toner materials (distributed by Samsung, Hewlett–Packard, and Kyocera) all being commercially available. The background is aimed at the question whether these particles can be taken for magnetically related scientific investigations instead of carrying out complicated, long-lasting and expensive preparation procedures.It could be demonstrated that cheap toner material can be used to obtain magnetic iron oxide nanoparticles of about 10 to 20 nm with a narrow size distribution using the investigated toner materials. With benzene, toluene, and n-hexane as organic solvent these nanoparticles are agglomerates of particles with a diameter being significantly below the micrometer size. Without dispersing one obtains large agglomerates of about 10μm.Using the toner material of Hewlett–Packard and Kyocera the metallic nanoparticles themselves exclusively consist of crystalline magnetite. Taking that of Samsung two configurations are present with about two thirds of magnetite and one third of maghemite.