Formation mechanism of monodisperse Ce3+ substituted ZnFe2O4 nanoparticles

• Monodisperse Ce3+ doped zinc ferrite MMNPs were fabricated by a solvothermal route.
• The formation mechanism for the Ce3+ doped zinc ferrite contains different processes.
• Fe2+ formation may be the key step for the fabrication of the ferrite.

Monodisperse Ce3+ substituted zinc ferrite magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) were synthesized. α-(Fe, Zn)OOH, α-Fe2O3, CeFeO3, and Ce3+ substituted ZnFe2O4 were synthesized at different intervals based on XRD, IR, XPS, ICP-AES, and HRTEM analysis. The lattice parameters and the average crystallite size for the samples obtained at different reaction intervals increased from 3 to 12 h, and decreased from 12 to 24 h. A possible mechanism was studied. The formation of Fe2+ may be the key step for the zinc ferrite production. The maximum saturation magnetization of the MNPs among these samples was determined to be 78.6 emu/g. The surface area (78.3 m2/g) of the MNPs is higher than the clusters aggregated by nanoparticles previously reported in our laboratory. These properties will render the MNPs ideal candidates for various applications.

Monodisperse Ce3+ doped zinc ferrite magnetic nanoparticles (MMNPs) were fabricated by a solvothermal route. The Fe2+ formation may be the key step for the fabrication of the ferrite. This mechanism can be used to explain the formation of the unstoichiometric chemical formula of the Zn ferrite.Figure optionsDownload as PowerPoint slide