Characterization of magnetite nanoparticles

This paper deals with the chemical preparation and magnetic characterization of nanoparticles of magnetite. A new hydrothermal synthesis of magnetite is adopted to prepare samples with different particle sizes and magnetic measurements are performed in two different laboratories adopting two different measurement methods. The saturation region is investigated by a vibrating sample magnetometer, while the behavior of minor cycles is mainly studied via an inductive method. An investigation is carried out on the magnetic behavior of a commercial magnetite together to an analysis of its crystal structure by X-Ray diffraction method and TEM micrographs. Some critical aspects relevant to the characterization of nanopowders by the two measurement methods are discussed throughout the paper.