Nanostructured magnetite (Fe3O4) thin films prepared by sol-gel method

Nanostructured magnetite (Fe3O4) thin films have been prepared by a sol-gel method heated at 300degreesC. The film with a black appearance is homogeneous without cracks by adding N, N-dimethyl formamide (DMF) as drying chemical control agent (DCCA). The root mean square roughness of the thin film is only 2 nm, and the nanograins show a narrow size distribution with an average size of 12.5 nm. The magneto-optical Kerr effect (MOKE), measured in the applied field range from 0 to 1.9 T, reveals that the film exhibits superparamagnetism. (C) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.