Nanostructural origin of the spin and orbital contribution to the magnetic moment in Fe3−xO4 magnetite nanoparticles

5 nm Fe3−xO4 nanoparticles were synthesized either by high-temperature decomposition in organic phase or in low-temperature aqueous conditions. In the first case oleic acid was covalently bonded to the nanoparticles; in the second case polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) yielded a protective coating without che...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Applied physics letters 2009-03, Vol.94 (9)
Main Authors: Pérez, N., Bartolomé, F., García, L. M., Bartolomé, J., Morales, M. P., Serna, C. J., Labarta, A., Batlle, X.
Format: Article
Language:English
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Summary:5 nm Fe3−xO4 nanoparticles were synthesized either by high-temperature decomposition in organic phase or in low-temperature aqueous conditions. In the first case oleic acid was covalently bonded to the nanoparticles; in the second case polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) yielded a protective coating without chemical bond. Magnetization measurements and x-ray magnetic circular dichroism showed a saturation magnetization close to bulk magnetite and an orbital moment effectively quenched in covalently bonded nanoparticles. PVA-coated nanoparticles showed a reduced value of the magnetization and ∼3 fold increase in the orbital moment. High resolution electron microscopy suggested that this was related to the nanostructure of the samples.
ISSN:0003-6951
1077-3118
DOI:10.1063/1.3095484