Particle size effects on the magnetic behaviour of 5 to 11 nm Fe3O4nanoparticles coated with oleic acid

Evidence of Individual Superspin Relaxation in Diluted Fe3O4/Hexane Ferrofluids

We used dc magnetization and ac susceptibility to investigate the magnetic relaxation of ferrofluids made of 8 nm average-diameter Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles dispersed in hexane. Samples of different concentrations (δ) spanning two orders of magnitude ranging from 0.66 to 0.005 mg (Fe₃O₄)/mL (hexane) were used to vary the interparticle interaction strength. Our data reveal a critical concentration, δ_c = 0.02 mg/mL, below which the ferrofluid behaves like an ideal nanoparticle ensemble where the superspins relax individually according to a Néel-Brown activation law τ(T) =τ0expEBkBT with a characteristic time τ_o ~10^-9 s. That is further confirmed by the observed invariance of the relative peak temperature variation per frequency decade ∆=∆TT·∆log(f), which stays constant at ~0.185 when δ < δ_c. At higher concentrations, between 0.02 and 0.66 mg/mL, we found that Δ exhibits a monotonic increase with the inverse concentration, 1δ, and the collective superspin dynamics is described by a Vogel-Fulcher law, τ(T) =τ0expEBkBT-T0. Within this regime, the dipolar interaction strength parameter T₀ increases from T₀ = 0 K at δ_c = 0.02 mg/mL to T₀ = 14.7 K at δ = 0.66 mg/mL.

3D Nest-Like Architecture of Core-Shell CoFe2O4@1T/2H-MoS2 Composites with Tunable Microwave Absorption Performance

As a promising microwave absorber filler, molybdenum disulfide (MoS₂), because of the unique structure, high electrical conductivity, and polarization effect, is receiving more and more interest. Developing MoS₂-based composites with specific structure and morphology is a hot top in the field of microwave absorbers, because of its strong multiple scattering and reflecting for microwaves as well as its unique interfacial characteristics. Now, with a facile solvothermal method, a novel core-shell CoFe₂O₄@1T/2H-MoS₂ composite is synthesized, where the CoFe₂O₄ nanospheres are entirely embedded in a special three-dimensional (3D) nest-like 1T/2H phase MoS₂. Notably, in comparison with superparamagnetic CoFe₂O₄ nanospheres, the coercivities of as-synthesized CoFe₂O₄@1T/2H-MoS₂ composites greatly increase. Here, 1T/2H-MoS₂ exhibits ferromagnetism superimposed onto large diamagnetism. It is noted that, by adjusting the content of 1T/2H-phase MoS₂, the microwave absorption performance of as-synthesized composites can be effectively tuned. The combination of 1T/2H-MoS₂ with CoFe₂O₄ helps to adjust the permittivity and optimize the impedance matching of the composites. Impressively, a minimum reflection loss (RL_min) of -68.5 dB for the as-synthesized composites with a thickness of 1.81 mm is gained at 13.2 GHz; meanwhile, a broad effective bandwidth of 4.56 GHz ranged from 13.2 to 17.76 GHz is achieved at 1.6 mm. Further, the overall effective bandwidth (RL < -10 dB) is obtained up to 14.5 GHz from 3.5 to 18.0 GHz, covering more than 90% of the measured frequency range. The high microwave absorption performance is ascribed to the special structure design with the core of magnetic CoFe₂O₄ nanospheres and the shell of dielectric nest-like 1T/2H-MoS₂ as well as their appropriate impedance matching. From the perspective of basic research and practical microwave application, this study provides another feasible and effective pathway to design novel MoS₂-based magnetic/dielectric microwave absorbers.

Magneto-optical and thermal characteristics of magnetite nanoparticle-embedded DNA and CTMA-DNA thin films

Recently, DNA molecules embedded with magnetite (Fe₃O₄) nanoparticles (MNPs) drew much attention for their wide range of potential usage. With specific intrinsic properties such as low optical loss, high transparency, large band gap, high dielectric constant, potential for molecular recognition, and their biodegradable nature, the DNA molecule can serve as an effective template or scaffold for various functionalized nanomaterials. With the aid of cetyltrimethylammonium (CTMA) surfactant, DNA can be used in organic-based applications as well as water-based ones. Here, DNA and CTMA-DNA thin films with various concentrations of MNPs fabricated by the drop-casting method have been characterized by optical absorption, refractive index, Raman, and cathodoluminescence measurements to understand the binding, dispersion, chemical identification/functional modes, and energy transfer mechanisms, respectively. In addition, magnetization was measured as a function of either applied magnetic field or temperature in field cooling and zero field cooling. Saturation magnetization and blocking temperature demonstrate the importance of MNPs in DNA and CTMA-DNA thin films. Finally, we examine the thermal stabilities of MNP-embedded DNA and CTMA-DNA thin films through thermogravimetric analysis, derivative thermogravimetry, and differential thermal analysis. The unique optical, magnetic, and thermal characteristics of MNP-embedded DNA and CTMA-DNA thin films will prove important to fields such as spintronics, biomedicine, and function-embedded sensors and devices.

Unraveling Nanoscale Magnetic Ordering in Fe3O4 Nanoparticle Assemblies via X-rays

Understanding the correlations between magnetic nanoparticles is important for nanotechnologies, such as high-density magnetic recording and biomedical applications, where functionalized magnetic particles are used as contrast agents and for drug delivery. The ability to control the magnetic state of individual particles depends on the good knowledge of the magnetic correlations between particles when assembled. Inaccessible via standard magnetometry techniques, nanoscale magnetic ordering in self-assemblies of Fe3O4 nanoparticles is here unveiled via X-ray resonant magnetic scattering (XRMS). Measured throughout the magnetization process, the XRMS signal reveals size-dependent inter-particle magnetic correlations. Smaller (5 nm) particles show little magnetic correlations, even when packed close together, yielding to magnetic disorder in the absence of an external field, i.e., superparamagnetism. In contrast, larger (11 nm) particles tend to be more strongly correlated, yielding a mix of magnetic orders including ferromagnetic and anti-ferromagnetic orders. These magnetic correlations are present even when the particles are sparsely distributed.

Ac-susceptibility investigations of superspin blocking and freezing in interacting magnetic nanoparticle ensembles

We have investigated the effect of dipolar interactions on the superspin blocking and freezing of 9 nm average size Fe3O4 magnetic nanoparticle ensembles. Our dynamic susceptibility data reveals a two-regime behavior of the blocking temperature, T(B), upon diluting a Fe3O4/hexane magnetic fluid. As the nanoparticle volume ratio, Φ, is reduced from an as-prepared reference Φ = 1 to Φ = 1/96, the blocking temperature decreases from 46.1 K to 34.2 K, but higher values reenter upon further diluting the magnetic fluid to Φ = 1/384 (where T(B) = 42.5 K). We found evidence that cooling below T B within the higher concentration range (Φ > 1/48) leads to the collective freezing of the superspins, whereas individual superspin blocking occurs in the presence of weaker interactions (Φ < 1/96). The unexpected increase of the blocking temperature with the decrease of the inter-particle interactions observed at low nanoparticle concentrations is well described by the Mørup-Tronc model.