Preparation of carbon-coated magnetic nanocomposites under inert atmosphere and at low temperature

We report that carbon-coated magnetic nanocomposites can be prepared by calcination of the mixture of ferric nitrate (Fe(NO3)3) and hydroxyethyl cellulose under benign calcination conditions (argon atmosphere, 400 °C). The magnetic property of the as-prepared samples can be tuned by simply varying the calcination temperature, the flow rate of argon, the retention time, and the heating rate, which would have important implication for the use of Fe(NO3)3 as iron source for future preparation of carbon-coated magnetic nanocomposites with high saturation magnetization.205