Magnetic properties and morphology of block copolymer-cobalt oxide nanocomposites

The morphology and magnetic properties of diblock copolymer templated ferrimagnetic cobalt oxide nanoparticles are reported. Ring opening metathesis polymerization (ROMP) was used to synthesize a novel cobalt diblock copolymer, where cobalt is directly attached to the polymer chain. Gel permeation chromatography (GPC) was performed to determine molecular weight distribution. Transmission electron microscope (TEM), UV-Vis, FTIR, and vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM) were used to characterize the block copolymer nanocomposite. The nanocomposite films were weakly ferrimagnetic at room temperature. The cobalt oxide nanoparticles were uniformly dispersed within the polymer matrix with an average radius of 4.9±0.9 nm.