Liquid-phase syntheses of cobalt ferrite nanoparticles

The aim of the present study was to synthesize cobalt-ferrite (CoFe2O4) nanoparticles using various liquid phase methods; sol-gel route, co-precipitation process, and microemulsion technique. The effects of experimental parameters on the particle size, size distribution, morphology, and chemical composition have been studied. The anions of precursors (chloride and nitrate), the solvents (water, n-propanol, ethanol, and benzyl alcohol), the precipitating agent (ammonia, sodium carbonate, and oxalic acid), the surfactants (polydimethylsiloxane, ethyl acetate, citric acid, cethyltrimethylammonium bromide, and sodium dodecil sulfate), their concentrations, and heat treatments were varied in the experiments. The smallest particles (around 40 nm) with narrow polydispersity and spherical shape could be achieved by a simple, fast sol-gel technique in the medium of propanol and ethyl acetate. The size characterization methods have also been investigated. Small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS), dynamic light scattering (DLS), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) provide the comparison of methods. The SAXS data correspond with the sizes detected by SEM and differ from DLS data. The crystalline phases, morphology, and chemical composition of the particles with different shapes have been analyzed by X-ray diffraction, SEM, and energy dispersive X-ray spectrometer.