Inert Gas Condensation of Iron and Iron-Oxide Nanoparticles
Abstract
An inert gas condensation technique has been used to prepare nanometer-sized particles of metallic iron by evaporation and agglomeration in a flowing inert gas stream. The resulting Fe nanoparticles were protected from complete oxidation either by the formation of a thin Fe-oxide surface passivation layer or by immersion in an oil bath. X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy measurements indicated that the nanoparticles were typically between 10 and 20 nm in size, that the thickness of the Fe-oxide surface passivation layer was between 3 and 4 nm, and that the oil immersed samples exhibited a significant smaller volume fraction of Fe-oxides than did the surface passivated samples. Room temperature magnetization measurements were also carried out and the coercivity and saturation magnetization of the surface passivated and oil immersed samples determined. Although the coercivities and saturation magnetization values of both samples were very similar, the Fe/Fe-oxide samples exhibited a single component hysteresis loop while the Fe/oil samples exhibited a two component loop.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jan 01, 2003
- Accession Number
- ADP014333
Entities
People
- Christine M. Baker
- K. M. Unruh
- S. I. Shah
- S. K. Hasanain
- T. Ekiert
Organizations
- University of Delaware