Preparation of cobalt nanocrystals in the homogenous solution with the presence of a static magnetic field

The growth and morphology of cobalt nanocrystals prepared by γ-irradiation method in a homogenous solution were significantly changed when a static magnetic field was introduced. The irradiation was carried out at the dose rate of 55 Gy/min for 27 h. The phase structures of the products were characterized by the means of X-ray powder diffraction (XRD). TEM images were used to observe the morphologies and dimensions of obtained cobalt nanocrystals. Meanwhile, a possible mechanism for the formation of the cobalt nanowires was proposed from the interaction between the magnetic field and cobalt clusters which were produced during the irradiation.