Spectral dependence of Faraday rotation in magnetite-polymer nanocomposites

We report the size-dependent magneto-optical properties of nanometer-sized magnetite particles embedded in poly(methyl methacrylate). The nanocomposite material contains Fe3O4 particles with diameters ranging from 8 to 200 nm. Faraday rotation spectra are measured in the wavelength range of 400-900 nm. A broad spectral band centered at 650 nm (1.91 eV) is observed in the for the larger (200 nm) particles. Decreasing of nanoparticle size leads to a significant narrowing of this band and appearance of an additional peak in the 2.5 - 3.2 eV range. We propose that the changes to the spectrum are caused by structural changes in the small particles, which affect the magneto-optically active charge transfer and orbital promotion electronic transitions. In addition, the Faraday rotation spectrum of the composite containing 8 nm particles is sensitive to nanoparticle concentration. Increasing the concentration of nanoparticles in the composite results in a red shift of the spectral feature at approximately 450 Inn. We propose that the shift of the peak in Faraday rotation spectrum is due to particle-particle interactions in the concentrated sample. Ferromagnetic Resonance measurements confirm a magneto-static interaction in the concentrated sample not present in the diluted sample. (C) 2003 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.