Magnetic response of NiFe2O4 nanoparticles in polymer matrix

We report the magnetic properties of magnetic nano-composite, consisting of different quantity of NiFe2O4 nanoparticles in polymer matrix. The nanoparticles exhibited a typical magnetization blocking, which is sensitive on the variation of magnetic field, mode of zero-field-cooled/field-cooled experiments and particle quantity in the matrix. The samples with lower particle quantity showed an upturn of magnetization down to 5 K, whereas the blocking of magnetization dominates at lower temperatures as the particle quantity increases in the polymer. We examine such magnetic behaviour in terms of the competitive magnetic ordering between core and surface spins of nanoparticles, taking into account the effect of inter-particle (dipole-dipole) interactions on nanoparticle magnetic dynamics. (C) 2009 Elsevier B. V. All rights reserved.