Large-scale synthesis and characterization of monodisperse Fe3O4 nanocrystals

Monodisperse Fe3O4 nanocrystals could be successfully synthesized in large quantities via a facile synthetic technique based on the pyrolysis of organometallic compound precursor in organic solvent by using oleic acid and oleylamine as capping ligands. The morphology and size of final products could be tuned by adjusting reaction parameters, such as molar ratio of OA:OAm, injection temperature, and kinds of surfactants. The phase structure, morphology and size of the products were characterized in detail by X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), selected area electron diffraction (SAED) and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM). Magnetic properties of Fe3O4 nanocrystals with different sizes were measured using vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM) at room temperature, which revealed size-dependent magnetic properties of as-prepared products (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.