Low-temperature ordering of FePt nanoparticles by alternate reduction of metal salts in aqueous medium

FePt nanoparticles have been successfully synthesized by the alternate reduction of chloroplatinic acid and ferric chloride, in the presence of acetyl trimethyl ammonium bromide as a surfactant in aqueous medium. Detailed investigations on the structural and magnetic properties of these nanoparticles were presented as a function of annealing temperature. Selected area electron diffraction shows the initiation of phase transition from the as-synthsized phase to ordered face center tetragonal (FCT) at 400 degrees C. The x-ray diffraction and magnetic measurements confirm the transformation to FCT phase at 400 degrees C. The magnetic measurements at room temperature show a double phase hysteresis loop at 400 degrees C and a nearly single phase hysteresis loop at 600 degrees C. with the coercivity of about 3.4 kOe and 16.2 kOe, respectively. We report for the first time this alternate reduction method in synthesizing FePt nanoparticles, obtained a decrease of about 100 degrees C in the ordering temperature. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.