Facile synthesis of a novel magnetic core-shell hierarchical composite submicrospheres Fe3O4@CuNiAl-LDH under ambient conditions

Novel magnetic core-shell hierarchical composite submicrospheres Fe3O4@CuNiAl-LDH were facilely synthesized by coprecipitation of CuNiAl-layered double hydroxide (LDH) over the surface of pre-prepared magnetite submicrospheres in both methanol-water and water media under ambient conditions and systematically characterized by SEM/TEM, XRD, ICP. TGA, BET and VSM techniques. The as-fabricated composites possess center-hollowed core-shell hierarchical structure and strong magnetic susceptivity. Particularly, the composite submicrospheres obtained in water present honeycomb-like morphology with thin CuNiAl-LDH nanoplatelets (ca. 100 nm x 21 nm) staggered perpendicularly oriented grown on the surface of Fe3O4 core, affording to a cellular structure resulting in high specific surface area of the Fe3O4@CuNiAl-LDH composite. The formation mechanism of the Fe3O4@CuNiAl-LDH submicrospheres is tentatively proposed. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.