Synthesis of Magnetite (Fe_3O_4) Nanoparticles from Iron sands by Coprecipitation- Ultrasonic Irradiation Methods

Magnetite (fe_3o_4) nanoparticles have been synthesized from iron sands with both coprecipitation and co-precipitation—ultrasonic irradiation methods. x-ray diffraction (xrd) patterns showed that fe_3o_4 samples generated by these two synthesis methods are in a single phase with a cubic spinel structure. this research investigates the influence of ultrasonic irradiation in the synthesis process including size, morphology, composition and magnetic properties. the morphology of fe_3o_4 was characterized by a transmission electron microscopy (tem) instrument. the tem image of fe_3o_4 synthesized using the ultrasonic irradiation method showed a reduction of the agglomeration of the fe_3o_4 particles. moreover, the tem images also showed that the primary particles of fe_3o_4 prepared by the co-precipitation method tend to agglomerate as the particles cluster, with the particle size ranging from 9 to 33 nm. meanwhile, fe_3o_4 synthesized using the ultrasonic irradiation method tends to construct a primary particle sized about 25 to 37 nm. the magnetic properties that were characterized by vibrating sample magnetometer (vsm) measurement showed that fe_3o_4 exhibited superparamagnetic behavior at room temperature.