The oriented self-assembly of magnetic Fe3O4 nanoparticles into monodisperse microspheres and their use as substrates in the formation of Fe3O4 nanorods

We describe a facile solvothermal route for the large-scale preparation of ferromagnetic Fe3O4 sub-micrometer spheres and nanorods by using FeCl3 as the iron source, oleic acid as the surfactant, and ethylene glycol as the reducing agent and solvent. The as-synthesized Fe3O4 microspheres are composed of a mess of Fe3O4 nanoparticles with a size of 10 nm and have nearly monodisperse diameters that can be controlled in the range 100-410 nm. HRTEM images and SAED patterns show that these microspheres present a single-crystalline nature, which can be attributed to the highly oriented assembly of the small Fe3O4 nanoparticles. Interestingly, by using the pre-synthesized Fe3O4 microspheres as the growth substrate, single-crystalline Fe3O4 nanorods can be formed on the surfaces of the microspheres. These nanorods are about 7-20 nm in diameter and 120-400 nm in length, and have smooth surfaces. The formation mechanisms of the Fe3O4 microspheres and nanorods have been investigated and discussed. Furthermore, the magnetic properties of the as-synthesized microspheres and nanorods have also been investigated and the magnetization saturation values are 74.6 and 92.3 emu/g, respectively. ((C) Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, 69451 Weinheim, Germany, 2008).