Preparation and microscopic characterization of magnetite–gold mesoparticles with tunable morphology

• Magnetite-gold mesoparticles were prepared with controlled morphology by adjusting the concentration of reactants and surfactants used in the synthesis.
• A structural study was carried out by using FIB/SEM technology which revealed that the inner structured of the particles is composed by iron oxide nanoparticles and gold crystals.
• A tridimensional reconstruction was created from SEM images of sliced mesoparticles by focused ion beam.

Composite magnetite–gold mesoscopic particles were prepared by deposition of Au onto magnetite nanoparticles. The surface morphology of the mesoparticles could be tuned by controlling the factors that affect the kinetics of the reactions and by adding surfactants that direct the growth of gold crystals. The internal structure of composite mesoparticles was analyzed by focused ion beam and scanning electron microscopy. A particle-mediated growth mechanism of formation was proposed.

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