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Neutron and X‐ray diffraction study of ferrite nanocrystals obtained by microwave‐assisted growth. A structural comparison with the thermal synthetic route
Author(s) -
Solano Eduardo,
Frontera Carlos,
Puig Teresa,
Obradors Xavier,
Ricart Susagna,
Ros Josep
Publication year - 2014
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/s1600576713032895
Subject(s) - materials science , microstructure , nanocrystal , ferrite (magnet) , nanoparticle , microwave , powder diffraction , rietveld refinement , thermal decomposition , crystal structure , neutron diffraction , crystallography , nanotechnology , chemical engineering , chemistry , composite material , organic chemistry , physics , quantum mechanics , engineering
Neutron and X‐ray powder diffraction have been used to investigate the differences between the crystal growth of ferrite magnetic nanoparticles ( M Fe 2 O 4 with M = Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Zn) by two methodologies: microwave radiation and thermal decomposition routes. Rietveld refinement has been used to extract the cationic distribution, the microstructure and magnetic information. Results for the nanoparticles produced by the two procedures evidence similar cationic distribution, microstructure and magnetic properties: complete cationic disorder for M = Mn and Co, crystal size around/below 10 nm etc . It is thus proven that microwave‐assisted growth is a promising eco‐friendly synthetic technique for the generation of high‐quality nanocrystals with comparable structure and properties to those produced by the thermal methodology, even though the microwave route needs a shorter time and lower annealing temperature to obtain the final crystal nanoparticles.