Convenient synthesis of single crystalline magnetic Fe3O4 nanorods

The synthesis of the uniform single crystalline magnetic Fe3O4 nanorods in a solution-phase approach in the presence of polyethylene glycol-1000(PEG-1000) is described. This is a convenient solution-phase route to large-scale synthesis of Fe3O4 nanorods with average diameters of ca. 80 nm and lengths of up to 2 mum. The composition of the nanorods is appraised by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Transmission electron microscopy images show that the magnetite particles are homogenous and have the shape of rods. The mechanism of forming Fe3O4 nanorods is also discussed. (C) 2003 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.