Magnetite-silica nanoparticles with core-shell structure: single-step synthesis, characterization and magnetic behavior

In this study, a specific technique was used to quickly, easily, and single step, synthesize core-shell magnetite-silica nanoparticles by controlling the reaction conditions using the proper surfactant. In the first step, the magnetite nanoparticles were prepared by co-precipitation method and silica shell was immediately formed by the sol-gel process. Synthesis was performed at 80 degrees C with stirring at 12,000rpm in an alkaline medium. The structural and morphological characteristics of core-shell nanoparticles were examined by XRD, TEM, SEM, and BET analyses. In addition, vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM) was used to evaluate the magnetic characteristics. XRD analysis confirmed the existence of both magnetite and silica phases in the final structure. TEM images showed the presence of nanocomposite particles with core-shell structure of 25nm diameter. The mean core and shell size were estimated to be about 20 and 2.5nm, respectively. A study of the magnetic characteristics showed super-paramagnetic behavior with 60emu/g saturation magnetization (M-s). Due to the high ratio of core size to shell thickness, the magnetic saturation for the synthetized core-shell nanoparticles in this research was significant. In comparison to other multi-step synthesis techniques, the results obtained from this research confirmed the formation of magnetite-silica core-shell structures with the desired magnetic behavior in a quick and single-step process. [GRAPHICS] .