Enhanced Oxidation Resistance of Iron Nanoparticles via Surface Modification in Chemical Vapor Condensation Process

In order to prevent the oxide formation on the surface of nano-size iron particles and thereby to improve the oxidation resistance in ordinary condition, iron nanoparticles synthesized by a chemical vapor condensation method were directly soaked in hexadecanethiol solution to coat them with a polymer layer. Oxygen content in the polymer-coated iron nanoparticles was significantly lower than that in usual air-passivated particles possessing iron-core/oxide-shell structure. Accordingly, oxidation resistance of the polymer-coated particles at an elevated temperature below 130°C in air was 10-40 times higher than that of the normally passivated particles.