Magnetic properties of variable-sized Fe3O4 nanoparticles synthesized from non-aqueous homogeneous solutions of polyols

The magnetic behaviour of well-dispersed monodisperse Fe3O4 nanoparticles with sizes varying between 6.6 and 17.8 nm prepared in a non-aqueous medium was investigated. The smaller nanocrystals exhibit superparamagnetism with the blocking temperatures increasing with the particle size, whereas the biggest particles are ferromagnetic at room temperature. The saturation magnetization values are slightly smaller than that of the bulk material, suggesting the existence of a disordered spin configuration on their surface. The thickness of the magnetically inert shell was estimated from the size variation of the magnetization at 1.9 angstrom. The dipole-dipole interactions between the particles were tuned by changing the interparticle distances, e. g. by diluting the nanopowders in a non-magnetic matrix at concentrations ranging from 0.25 to 100 wt%. As the strength of the interactions is decreased with dilution, the energy barrier is substantially lowered; this will induce a drastic decrease of both the blocking temperatures and the coercivity with decreasing concentration of the nanoparticles.