Effect of application of a high magnetic field on the microstructure of Fe substituted layered double hydroxide clay for a magnetic application

In this study, the synthesis of Fe substituted layered double hydroxide (LDH) clays with unique layered structures, Mg/Fe-LDH, was attempted by a coprecipitation method, and subsequent decomposition behaviors on in situ heat treatments under a high magnetic field were investigated for these LDH clays. Specifically, the evaluations of microstructure of Mg/Fe-LDH were in detail carried out after in situ heat treatments with a high magnetic field of 10 T. As a result, it was found that the thermal decomposition behaviors of Mg/Fe-LDH on in situ heat treatments under the exposure of 10 T were significantly different from the ones under 0 T and the formation of magnesioferrite (MgFe(2)O(4)) with a spinel-type structure was enhanced by the application of a high magnetic field. Furthermore, there were some distinct differences between the morphologies of MgFe(2)O(4) prepared between under 0 and 10 T that were caused by the anisotropic magnetic susceptibility of MgFe(2)O(4). Applying in situ heat treatment under 10 T to the decomposition of Mg/Fe-LDH led to the successful synthesis of nanosized MgFe(2)O(4) at lower temperatures. (c) 2007 American Institute of Physics.