The Structure of Modified Fe-Ni Bioxide Composite Nanoparticles Using Fe(NO3)3

Composite nanoparticles containing a γ-Fe2O3 core, Ni2O3 external shell and FeCl3·6H2O outermost layer can be synthesized by chemically induced transition in FeCl2 solution. These may be modified by treatment with Fe(NO3)3 to obtain particles for the preparation of ionic ferrofluids. Vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM) measurements and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) observations show that after Fe(NO3)3 treatment, the specific magnetization becomes weaker and the size becomes larger for treated particles compared with the untreated particles. Using energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), the structure of the particles before and after the treatment is revealed. The experimental results show that the γ-Fe2O3 core is unchanged, the Ni2O3 is dissolved partially and the FeCl3·6H2O is replaced by Fe(NO3)3·9H2O. The percentages of molar, mass and volume of these phases are deduced, and the average density of the modified particles is also estimated.