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Identification of aggregates of magnetic nanoparticles in ferrofluids at low concentrations
Author(s) -
Eberbeck D.,
Lange A.,
Hentschel M.
Publication year - 2003
Publication title -
journal of applied crystallography
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.429
H-Index - 162
ISSN - 1600-5767
DOI - 10.1107/s002188980301104x
Subject(s) - ferrofluid , nanoparticle , cluster (spacecraft) , chemical physics , shell (structure) , scattering , small angle x ray scattering , materials science , core (optical fiber) , magnetite , magnetic nanoparticles , chemical engineering , molecular physics , crystallography , chemistry , nanotechnology , magnetic field , optics , physics , composite material , engineering , quantum mechanics , computer science , metallurgy , programming language
Different very dilute suspensions of magnetic nanoparticles (magnetite surrounded by an organic shell) in water (ferrofluids) were investigated using small‐angle X‐ray scattering. It is shown that the scattering originates not only from noncorrelated core–shell nanoparticles, but also from larger structures. By modelling, these structures can be identified as close‐packed clusters consisting of core–shell particles (core diameter ∼10 nm). The analysis of the radial distance distribution function, obtained by Fourier transformation of the scattered intensity, reveals a lower bound of the mean cluster size of about 40 nm. The formation of clusters is persistent, even in very dilute suspensions.