Fast Microwave Synthesis of Fe3O4 and Fe3O4/Ag Magnetic Nanoparticles Using Fe2+ as Precursor

A simple and quick microwave method to prepare high performance magnetite nanoparticles (Fe3O4 NPs) directly from Fe has been developed. The as-prepared Fe3O4 NPs product was fully characterized by X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy and scanning electron microscopy. The results show that the as-prepared Fe3O4 NPs are quite monodisperse with an average core size of 80 x 5 nm. The microwave synthesis technique can be easily modified to prepare Fe3O4/Ag NPs and these NPs possess good magnetic properties. The formation mechanisms of the NPs are also discussed. Our proposed synthesis procedure is quick and simple, and shows potential for large-scale production and applications for catalysis and biomedical/biological uses.