Microemulsions: The Renaissance of Ferrite Nanoparticle Synthesis

Ferrite nanoparticles (NPs) are of special interest for a wide range of applications. Microemulsions represent the Renaissance of ferrite NP preparation offering a series of advantages with respect to other methods due the possibility to confine reactions into nanosized reactors. They allow the preparation in mild synthesis conditions of a wide variety of nanostructured ferrites with controlled composition, particle size and shape. This review wants to give a comprehensive overview of the microemulsion performance in the ferrite NP synthesis. Firstly, a general section on microemulsion properties is presented. The basics of NP formation mechanism, with a first-rate emphasis in the influence of microemulsion properties and dynamics on the control of NP size and shape, are addressed. A summary of the synthesis procedure evolution by both direct and reverse microemulsions over a selection of ferrite NPs is also provided in the review. Finally, the perspectives on microemulsion systems for ferrite NP preparation are quickly revised.