Hydrothermal-induced oriented growth of Fe–Co alloy and Sm3+-substituted magnetite nanowire composites

Fe–Co alloy and Sm3+-substituted magnetite nanowire composites (CoxFe1−x/CoyFe1−ySmzFe2−zO4) have been synthesized via a hydrothermal method without using surfactants or templates. The effects of substitution on structure and morphology were investigated by powder X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, Mössbauer spectroscopy, and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The TEM image shows that the average diameter of the magnetite nanowires is about 40 nm and the length is several micrometers. The z=0.1 composite shows relatively high saturation magnetization (92.3 emu/g) detected by a vibrating sample magnetometer. The possible growth mechanism of the nanowires is discussed on the basis of the crystal structure of the materials. From the perspective of thermodynamics, we explain the postulated mechanism of the hydrothermal reaction.