One-step hydrothermal process to prepare highly crystalline Fe3O4 nanoparticles with improved magnetic properties

Hydrothermal process was successfully used to synthesize Fe3O4 powder using ferrous chloride (FeCl2) and diamine hydrate (H4N2·H2O) as starting materials by carefully controlling the reaction conditions. The as-prepared Fe3O4 sample was characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and its magnetic properties were evaluated on a vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM). The nanoscale (40 nm) Fe3O4 powder obtained at 140 °C for 6 h possessed a saturation magnetization of 85.8 emu/g, a little lower than that of the correspondent bulk Fe3O4 (92 emu/g). It is suggested that the well-crystallized Fe3O4 grains formed under appropriate hydrothermal conditions should be responsible for the increased saturation magnetization in nanosized Fe3O4.