Magnetic properties in oriented platelet Fe3O4 particles prepared by the polyol method using α-FeOOH as precursors

Magnetic properties of platelet Fe3O4 particles were studied to apply them to magnetic hyperthermia or thermoablation using hysteresis-loss heating. As precursor materials, platelet α-FeOOH particles were synthesized by a hydrothermal treatment of the precipitated Fe3+ ions in an alkaline solution of ethanolamine. Spinel-structured iron oxide particles were obtained from the platelet α-FeOOH particles by a liquid-phase reduction process using tetra-ethylene glycol as the reducing agent and were recognized as platelet particles with size 30-100 nm by transmission electron microscopy. Their chemical composition and crystal structure were confirmed to be that of Fe3O4 by X-ray diffraction and Mössbauer analyses. The coercive force and saturation magnetization of the Fe3O4 particles were 11.9 kA/m and 77.9 Am2/kg, respectively. A tape was prepared by orientating the platelet Fe3O4 particles in such a way that the particle planes were parallel to the tape plane. The calculated magnetic anisotropy field of the Fe3O4 particles was about two times larger than the in-plane coercive force of 12.6 kA/m of the oriented tape. The saturation field in direction perpendicular to the oriented tape was 390 kA/m, which is close to the demagnetizing field in the platelet Fe3O4 particles.