Iron Oxide-Based Magnetic Nanocrystals

Hollow Magnetic Nanocrystals Hollow nanoscale stmctures were first obtained by Y. Yin during the sulfurization of cobalt nanocrystals at elevated temperatures [145]. This process was found to lead to the formation of hollow cobalt sulfide nanocrystals such that, depending on the size of the cobalt nanocrystals and the cobalt sulfur molar ratio, different stoichiometries of hollow cobalt sulfide could be obtained. Hollow nanostmctures are usually formed through the nanoscale Kirkendall effect, which is based on the difference in diffusion rates of two species, and results in an accumulation and condensation of vacancies [146]. This phenomenon was first observed by Kirkendall at the interface of copper and zinc in brass in 1947 [147]. As a typical example of the nano-Kirkendall effect, the controllable oxidation of iron nanoparticles by air can lead to the formation of hollow iron oxide nanostructures, as shown in Figure 3.137. During the course of metal nanoparticle oxidation, the outward diffusion of metal occurs much faster in... 

Solution phase chemical synthesis is a convenient way for making surfactant coated magnetic nanoparticles, as described in various reviews [12-18]. Monodisperse Co nanoparticles with standard deviation less than 10% are synthesized by decomposition of Co2(CO)8 [19-22] or Co(rj3-C8Hi3X n4-C8Hi2) [23] and reduction of cobalt salt [24,25] in the presence of oleic acid and trialkylphosphine, or trialkylphosphine oxide, or alkylamine. Monodisperse iron nanoparticles are normally prepared from decomposition of Fe(CO)5 [26-28]. However, metallic iron-based particles from this decomposition procedure are difficult to characterize due to the chemical instability. A recent synthesis using decomposition of Fe[NSiMe3)2]2 offers a promising approach to monodisperse Fe nanocrystals [29]. 

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