Spectral dependence of Faraday rotation in magnetite-polymer nanocomposites Original Research Article

We report the size-dependent magneto-optical properties of nanometer-sized magnetite particles embedded in poly(methyl methacrylate). The nanocomposite material contains Fe3O4 particles with diameters ranging from 8 to 200 nm. Faraday rotation spectra are measured in the wavelength range of 400–900 nm. A broad spectral band centered at 650 nm (1.91 eV) is observed in the for the larger (200 nm) particles. Decreasing of nanoparticle size leads to a significant narrowing of this band and appearance of an additional peak in the 2.5–3.2 eV range. We propose that the changes to the spectrum are caused by structural changes in the small particles, which affect the magneto-optically active charge transfer and orbital promotion electronic transitions. In addition, the Faraday rotation spectrum of the composite containing 8 nm particles is sensitive to nanoparticle concentration. Increasing the concentration of nanoparticles in the composite results in a red shift of the spectral feature at approximately 450 nm. We propose that the shift of the peak in Faraday rotation spectrum is due to particle–particle interactions in the concentrated sample. Ferromagnetic Resonance measurements confirm a magneto-static interaction in the concentrated sample not present in the diluted sample.