Shape Tuning of Magnetite Nanoparticles Obtained by Hydrothermal Synthesis: Effect of Temperature

Abstract

In this work, we present a simple and efficient method for pure phase magnetite (Fe3O4) nanoparticle synthesis. The phase structure, particle shape, and size of the samples were characterized by Raman spectroscopy (Rm), X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray (EDS), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The morphology tuning was controlled by the temperature of the reaction; the nanoparticles were synthesized via the hydrothermal method at 120°C, 140°C, and 160°C, respectively. The Rm and XRD spectra showed that all the nanoparticles were Fe3O4 in a pure magnetite phase. The obtained nanoparticles exhibited a high level of crystallinity with uniform morphology at each temperature, as can be observed through TEM and SEM. These magnetic nanoparticles exhibited good saturation magnetization and the resulting shapes were quasi-spheres, octahedrons, and cubes. The samples showed striking magnetic properties, which were examined by a vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM). It has been possible to obtain a good morphological control of nanostructured magnetite in a simple, economical, and scalable method by adjusting the temperature, without the modification of any other synthesis parameter.