Stabilized Bare Superparamagnetic Iron Oxide Nanoparticles: Synthesis and Characterization

Abstract

Iron is a ubiquitous element found on Earth's crust, existing in various forms, such as Magnetite (Fe3O4) and Hematite (α-Fe2O3). Magnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (MIONPs) have become increasingly popular because they possess unique properties such as high surface area to volume ratio, super-paramagnetic properties, photocatalytic properties, and economical synthesis methods. This study produced MIONPs using the co-precipitation method, stabilized by a molybdenum magnet. Two soluble iron salts (FeCl3.6H2O and FeSO4.7H2O) were reacted with 5N NH4OH solution at 80 °C in a nitrogen atmosphere. The MIONPs had a high saturation magnetization of 74.2emu/g, good crystallinity with crystalline spinel structured magnetite phase of iron oxide, high thermal stability depicted by 2.09 wt. % weight loss, and small particle sizes (6-25 nm). FTIR revealed a high-intensity peak at 546.28 cm-1, attributed to the Fe-O stretching bond. Furthermore, the study showed that the co-precipitation method could be used to produce nanoparticles with a wide range of properties that could be used for various applications. It is a promising solution for producing stabilized magnetic nanoparticles since it uses non-toxic reagents and a straightforward, secure technique. Therefore, it may be used to synthesize nanoparticles for targeted treatment, magnetic resonance imaging, drug delivery, water treatment purposes and environmental remediation.