A facile one-step method to prepare size controlled Fe3O4 submicro/nanoparticles

The size of Fe3O4 materials is controlled simply by varying the composition of the precursor mixture containing FeCl3 and palmitic acid. In addition, the detailed mechanism for the morphology controlled formation of the Fe3O4 nano- and submicro-particles has been discussed.

► Fe3O4 nanoparticles were synthesized by one-step facile method without any solvent.
► The sizes of the nanoparticles are smaller than 800 nm.
► It is possible to obtain Fe3O4 or α-Fe2O3 nanoparticles.