Synthesis of alpha-Fe nanoparticles by solventless thermal decomposition

A new preparation for highly crystalline and monodisperse Fe3O4 nanoparticle is reported. This synthesis requires the use of rather complicated procedures including delicate control of surfactants ratios and inert reaction conditions due to the toxic and unstable nature of the precursors none the less because thermal decomposition methods were tried to synthesize monodispersed inorganic nanocrystallites until very recently. The synthesis of Fe3O4 nanocrystallites by using Fe(+2)-oleate2 complex was studied. The Fe(+2)-oleate2 complex was prepared from the reaction of iron chloride and sodium oleate in water. The thermal decomposition of the complex at the reduced pressure (0.3 torr) and about 300 degrees was done without any solvent. We demonstrated that a new solventless synthesis of size- and shape-monodisperse Fe3O4 nanoparticles depends on the amount of Na-oleate. And it is possible to remove the oleate ligand using reduction process. We confirmed that the nanoparticles changed from Fe3O4 to alpha-Fe phase obtained higher magnetic properties and crystallites by a vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM) and x-ray powder diffraction (XRD). Removal of the organic surfactant and other volatile components surrounding Fe3O4 nanoparticles was detected by fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR).