Technology for production of magnetic carbon nanopowders doped with iron and cobalt nanoclusters

• Technology for the production of magnetic (iron and cobalt) carbon nanopowders was developed.
• The technology combines ethanol vapor pyrolysis with chemical vapor deposition.
• Complex structure, magnetometry and NMR studies were carried out.
• The nanopowders consist of carbon nanoparticle aggregations doped with magnetic clusters.

Complex scanning electron microscope and Auger electron spectroscope structure and composition measurements, along with the vibrating sample magnetometer and NMR studies, were carried out on carbon nanoparticles doped with magnetic clusters, which were synthesized by a technology which combines the ethanol vapor pyrolysis method and the chemical vapor deposition process in a horizontal continuous reactor with certain temperature gradients and controlled partial oxygen pressure. The structure and composition data of the synthesized magnetic carbon nanopowders showed that the nanopowders consisted of randomly distributed carbon nanoparticle aggregations that are 200 nm in diameter doped with magnetic clusters. The magnetometry and NMR data are in agreement with the results of the structure analysis, pointing to the existence of a significant superparamagnetic contribution to the synthesized carbon nanoparticles doped with cobalt nanoclusters.