Tailoring the magnetic properties of iron oxide nanosystems is essential to expanding their biomedical applications. In this study, 34 nm iron oxide nanocubes with two phases consisting of Fe3O4 and α-Fe2O3 were annealed for 2 h in the presence of O2, N2, He, and Ar to tune the respective phase volume fractions and control their magnetic properties. X-ray diffraction and magnetic measurements were carried out post-treatment to evaluate changes in the treated samples compared to the as-prepared samples, showing an enhancement of the α-Fe2O3 phase in the samples annealed with O2 while the others indicated a Fe3O4 enhancement. Furthermore, the latter samples indicated enhancements in crystallinity and saturation magnetization, while coercivity enhancements were the most significant in samples annealed with O2, resulting in the highest specific absorption rates (of up to 1000 W/g) in all the applied fields of 800, 600, and 400 Oe in agar during magnetic hyperthermia measurements. The general enhancement of the specific absorption rate post-annealing underscores the importance of the annealing atmosphere in the enhancement of the magnetic and structural properties of nanostructures.
more »
« less
Competing Magnetic Interactions and Field-Induced Metamagnetic Transition in Highly Crystalline Phase-Tunable Iron Oxide Nanorods
The inherent existence of multi phases in iron oxide nanostructures highlights the significance of them being investigated deliberately to understand and possibly control the phases. Here, the effects of annealing at 250 °C with a variable duration on the bulk magnetic and structural properties of high aspect ratio biphase iron oxide nanorods with ferrimagnetic Fe3O4 and antiferromagnetic α-Fe2O3 are explored. Increasing annealing time under a free flow of oxygen enhanced the α-Fe2O3 volume fraction and improved the crystallinity of the Fe3O4 phase, identified in changes in the magnetization as a function of annealing time. A critical annealing time of approximately 3 h maximized the presence of both phases, as observed via an enhancement in the magnetization and an interfacial pinning effect. This is attributed to disordered spins separating the magnetically distinct phases which tend to align with the application of a magnetic field at high temperatures. The increased antiferromagnetic phase can be distinguished due to the field-induced metamagnetic transitions observed in structures annealed for more than 3 h and was especially prominent in the 9 h annealed sample. Our controlled study in determining the changes in volume fractions with annealing time will enable precise control over phase tunability in iron oxide nanorods, allowing custom-made phase volume fractions in different applications ranging from spintronics to biomedical applications.
more »
« less
- Award ID(s):
- 1852269
- PAR ID:
- 10480224
- Publisher / Repository:
- MDPI
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Nanomaterials
- Volume:
- 13
- Issue:
- 8
- ISSN:
- 2079-4991
- Page Range / eLocation ID:
- 1340
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
More Like this
-
-
The magnetic proximity effect (MPE) has recently been explored to manipulate interfacial properties of two-dimensional (2D) transition metal dichalcogenide (TMD)/ferromagnet heterostructures for use in spintronics and valleytronics. However, a full understanding of the MPE and its temperature and magnetic field evolution in these systems is lacking. In this study, the MPE has been probed in Pt/WS2/BPIO (biphase iron oxide, Fe3O4 and α-Fe2O3) heterostructures through a comprehensive investigation of their magnetic and transport properties using magnetometry, four-probe resistivity, and anomalous Hall effect (AHE) measurements. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations are performed to complement the experimental findings. We found that the presence of monolayer WS2 flakes reduces the magnetization of BPIO and hence the total magnetization of Pt/WS2/BPIO at T > ~120 K—the Verwey transition temperature of Fe3O4 (TV). However, an enhanced magnetization is achieved at T < TV. In the latter case, a comparative analysis of the transport properties of Pt/WS2/BPIO and Pt/BPIO from AHE measurements reveals ferromagnetic coupling at the WS2/BPIO interface. Our study forms the foundation for understanding MPE-mediated interfacial properties and paves a new pathway for designing 2D TMD/magnet heterostructures for applications in spintronics, opto-spincaloritronics, and valleytronics.more » « less
-
Nanocomposites consisting of nanoparticles of iron oxide (Fe3O4) and iron carbide (Fe3C) with a core-shell structure (Fe core, Fe3O4 and/or Fe3C shells) coated with additional graphite-like carbon layer dispersed in carbon matrix have been synthesized by solid-phase pyrolysis of iron-phthalocyanine (FePc) and iron-porphyrin (FePr) with a pyrolysis temperature of 900°C, and post-annealing conducted at temperatures ranging from 150°C to 550°C under controlled oxygen- and/or nitrogen-rich environments. A comprehensive analysis of the samples’ morphology, composition, structure, size, and magnetic characteristics was performed by utilizing scanning electron microscopy (SEM), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-STEM) with elemental mapping, X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD), and magnetic measurements by utilizing vibrating sample magnetometry (VSM). The effect of the annealing process on magnetic performance and efficient control of the hysteresis loop and specific absorption rate (SAR) are discussed.more » « less
-
Magnetic elastomers with hard or permanent magnetic particulate are able to achieve complex motion not possible from soft magnetic elastomers. Magnetic annealing and fused deposition modeling (FDM) have been used to increase the performance of magnetic composites. This research explores how the magnetoactive properties of hard magnetic elastomers are influenced by magnetic annealing and the addition of the soft magnetic particulate. Three compositions of the thermoplastic magnetic elastomer composite are explored: 15 vol. % SrFe12O19, 10 vol. % SrFe12O19/5 vol. % carbonyl iron, and 5 vol. % SrFe12O19/10 vol. % carbonyl iron. The material is then extruded into FDM filaments. During the extrusion process, some filament is magnetically annealed in an axial applied field. Magnetic hysteresis loops show that the saturation magnetization and coercivity change based on the relative amount of hard and soft magnetic particulate. The presence of only one coercive field indicates magnetic coupling between the hard and soft components. Magnetoactive testing measures each sample’s mechanical deflection angle as a function of transverse applied magnetic field strength. Qualitative and quantitative results reveal that magnetic annealing is critical to the magnetoactive performance of the hard magnetic elastomers. The results also demonstrate that magnetic annealing and increased carbonyl iron both improve the magnetoactive deflection angle for a given applied field. Scanning electron microscopy shows a stratification effect in a range of the filaments. Understanding these hard magnetic elastomers provides insight into how performance can be controlled and optimized by magnetic annealing and combining hard and soft magnetic particulate.more » « less
-
Iron oxide nanoparticles (IONPs) were synthesized via a block copolymer-assisted hydrothermal method and the phase purity and the crystal structure were investigated by X-ray diffraction. The Rietveld analysis of X-ray diffractometer spectra shows the hexagonal phase symmetry of α-Fe2O3. Further, the vibrational study suggests Raman active modes: 2A1g + 5Eg associated with α-Fe2O3, which corroborates the Rietveld analysis and orbital analysis of 2PFe. The superparamagnetic behavior is confirmed by magnetic measurements performed by the physical properties measurement system. The systematic study of the Congo red (CR) interaction with IONPs using a UV-visible spectrophotometer and a liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry system equipped with a triple quadrupole mass analyzer and an electrospray ionization interface shows effective adsorption. In visible light, the Fe2O3 nanoparticles get easily excited and generate electrons and holes. The photogenerated electrons reduce the Fe3+ ions to Fe2+ ions. The Fe2+/H2O2 oxidizes CR by the Fenton mechanism. The strong adsorption ability of prepared nanoparticles towards dyes attributes the potential candidates for wastewater treatment and other catalytic applications.more » « less
An official website of the United States government

