Synthesis and characterization of magnetic Fe₃O₄@SiO₂ core/shell nanocomposite Available to Purchase

In this study, the Co-precipitation reaction of ferrous and ferric salts with inorganic base (NaOH) is used to form iron oxide nanoparticles. Fe₃O₄@SiO₂ core/shell nanocomposite was prepared via sol-gel method using sodium silicate Na₂SiO₃ as a silica precursor, which is more suitable in mass production than TEOS. The core/ shell nanocomposite was investigated by different characterization methods (XRD, AFM, TEM, FTIR and, VSM). X-ray diffraction (XRD) results identified the crystalline structure of Fe₃O₄ and showed an amorphous silica shell. It was noticed by vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM), that there was a reduction in magnetization by comparing Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles to Fe₃O₄@SiO₂ core/shell nanocomposite. This reduction might be happened due to the coating process with antimagnetic inorganic amorphous silica shell. The core size was found to be 23.54nm identified via atomic force microscopy (AFM). Fe₃O₄@SiO₂ nearly spherical shape and particle size were revealed by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The Fe₃O₄@SiO₂ core/shell nanocomposite showed a good dispersion property and magnetic behavior close to superparamagnetic materials.