Solution voltammetry of 4 nm magnetite iron oxide nanoparticles.

Abstract

The voltammetry of solution-dispersed magnetite iron oxide Fe3O4 nanoparticles is described. Their currents are controlled by nanoparticle transport rates, as shown with potential step chronoamperometry and rotated disk voltammetry. In pH 2 citrate buffer with added NaClO4 electrolyte, solution cyclic voltammetry of these nanoparticles (average diameter 4.4 ± 0.9 nm, each containing ca. 30 Fe sites) displays an electrochemically irreversible oxidation with E(PEAK) at ca. +0.52 V and an irreversible reduction with E(PEAK) at ca. +0.2 V vs Ag/AgCl reference electrode. These processes are presumed to correspond to the formal potentials for one-electron oxidation of Fe(II) and reduction of Fe(III) at their different sites in the magnetite nanoparticle structure. The heterogeneous electrode reaction rates of the nanoparticles are very slow, in the 10(-5) cm/s range. The nanoparticles are additionally characterized by a variety of tools, e.g., TEM, UV/vis, and XPS spectroscopies.