Ethanol-assisted synthesis of Zn0.5Fe2.5O4 nanocrystals in thermal solvent of paraffin

In the atmosphere of N2, low cost paraffin slices were refined and then successfully utilized as a solvent instead of the expensive high-carbon alkanes or alkenes like 1-octadecene to synthesize Zn0.5Fe2.5O4 nanocrystals at 320 °C. In the experiments, the precursor solutions of ferric and zinc oleates were stoichiometrically prepared and injected by two-step operations into the hot solvent, together with controlled amounts of ethanol to tailor their thermal decomposition performances. The synthesized Zn0.5Fe2.5O4 nanocrystals were characterized by XRD and FESEM, having uniform morphology and a quasi-monodisperse size distribution with a mean value 25 nm and a standard deviation of ±12.3%. The formation and structural characteristics of Zn0.5Fe2.5O4 nanocrystals are attributed to the catalysing function of ethanol and the effective separation of nucleation and growth of nanocrystals via the two-step injections of reactive precursors.