Nader Yaacoub

Cationic distribution and spin canting in CoFe2O4 nanoparticles

CoFe(2)O(4) nanoparticles (D(NPD) ~6 nm), prepared by a thermal decomposition technique, have been investigated through the combined use of dc magnetization measurements, neutron diffraction, and (57)Fe Mössbauer spectrometry under high applied magnetic field. Despite the small particle size, the value of saturation magnetization at 300 K (M(s) ͠= 70 A m(2) kg(-1)) and at 5 K (M(s) ͠= 100 A m(2) kg(-1)) are rather close to the bulk values, making the samples prepared with this method attractive for biomedical applications. Neutron diffraction measurements indicate the typical ferrimagnetic structure of the ferrites, showing an inversion degree (γ(NPD) = 0.74) that is in very good agreement with cationic distribution established from low temperature (10 K) Mössbauer measurements in high magnetic field (γ(moss) = 0.76). In addition, the in-field Mössbauer spectrum shows the presence of a non-collinear spin structure in both A and B sublattices. The results allow us to explain the high value of saturation magnetization and provide a better insight into the complex interplay between cationic distribution and magnetic disorder in ferrimagnetic nanoparticles.

Size-dependent magnetic properties of CoFe2O4 nanoparticles prepared in polyol.

Highly crystalline CoFe(2)O(4) nanoparticles with different diameters ranging from 2.4 to 6.1 nm have been synthesized by forced hydrolysis in polyol. The size can be controlled through adjusting the nominal water/metal molar ratio. X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, x-ray absorption spectroscopy and (57)Fe Mössbauer spectrometry were employed to investigate the structure and the microstructure of the particles produced. Magnetic measurements performed on these particles show that they are superparamagnetic with a size-dependent blocking temperature. At 5 K, high saturation magnetization (~85 emu g(-1)) approaching that of the bulk was found for the larger particles, whereas a very large coercivity (14.5 kOe) is observed for the 3.5 nm sized particles.

Grafting of diazonium salts on oxides surface: formation of aryl-O bonds on iron oxide nanoparticles

Combining ab initio modeling and 57Fe Mössbauer spectrometry, we characterized the nature of the chemical linkage of aminoalkyl arenediazonium salt on the surface of iron oxide nanoparticles. We established that it is built through a metal–oxygen–carbon bonding and not a metal–carbon one, as usually suggested and commonly observed in previously studied metal- or carbon-based surfaces.

Enhancing the magnetic anisotropy of maghemite nanoparticles via the surface coordination of molecular complexes.

Superparamagnetic nanoparticles are promising objects for data storage or medical applications. In the smallest—and more attractive—systems, the properties are governed by the magnetic anisotropy. Here we report a molecule-based synthetic strategy to enhance this anisotropy in sub-10-nm nanoparticles. It consists of the fabrication of composite materials where anisotropic molecular complexes are coordinated to the surface of the nanoparticles. Reacting 5 nm γ-Fe2O3 nanoparticles with the [CoII(TPMA)Cl2] complex (TPMA: tris(2-pyridylmethyl)amine) leads to the desired composite materials and the characterization of the functionalized nanoparticles evidences the successful coordination—without nanoparticle aggregation and without complex dissociation—of the molecular complexes to the nanoparticles surface. Magnetic measurements indicate the significant enhancement of the anisotropy in the final objects. Indeed, the functionalized nanoparticles show a threefold increase of the blocking temperature and a coercive field increased by one order of magnitude.

On the use of amine-borane complexes to synthesize iron nanoparticles.

The effectiveness of amine-borane as reducing agent for the synthesis of iron nanoparticles has been investigated. Large (2-4 nm) Fe nanoparticles were obtained from [Fe{N(SiMe3)2}2]. Inclusion of boron in the nanoparticles is clearly evidenced by extended X-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopy and Mössbauer spectrometry. Furthermore, the reactivity of amine-borane and amino-borane complexes in the presence of pure Fe nanoparticles has been investigated. Dihydrogen evolution was observed in both cases, which suggests the potential of Fe nanoparticles to promote the release of dihydrogen from amine-borane and amino-borane moieties.

Granular Fe3 − x O4-CoO hetero-nanostructures produced by in situ seed mediated growth in polyol: magnetic properties and chemical stability

We report here the synthesis of granular composites based on intimately mixed ferrimagnetic Fe3 − x O4 and antiferromagnetic CoO nanocrystals using forced hydrolysis in a polyol solvent. Typically, 10 nm sized iron oxide nanoparticles were pre-formed in diethyleneglycol and used as seeds to grow epitaxially cobalt monoxide nanocrystals, in the same reaction mixture. X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, 57Fe Mossbauer spectrometry and dc-magnetometry confirmed the production of the desired hetero-nanostructures, of great interest in the field of magnetic recording, and evidenced the formation of a kind of cobalt ferrite solid solution between the initially formed Fe3 − x O4 and latterly deposited CoO nanocrystals. The resulting Co and Fe concentration gradient significantly affects the low temperature magnetization reversal of the composite nanostructures compared to the pristine iron oxide magnetite-like powder. Moreover, with time, air exposure leads to an almost total transformation of the CoO phase into Co3O4 and the electronic displacement of a great part of the Fe2+ ions into Fe3+ ones in the whole grain volume, along with noteworthy low temperature magnetization and coercivity decrease. This material evolution makes the studied composites less valuable for most of the magnetic based functional applications and underlines the importance to pay attention to their storage and integration into functional devices before use.

Size and thickness effect on magnetic structures of maghemite hollow magnetic nanoparticles

The effect of surface anisotropy on the magnetic ground state of hollow maghemite nanoparticles is investigated using atomistic Monte Carlo simulation. The computer modeling is carried on hollow nanostructures as a function of size and shell thickness. It is found that the large contribution of the surface anisotropy imposes a “throttled” spin structure where the moments located at the outer surface tend to orient normal to the surface while those located at the inner surface appear to be more aligned. For increasing values of surface anisotropy in the frame of a radial model, the magnetic moments become radially oriented either inward or outward giving rise to a “hedgehog” configuration with nearly zero net magnetization. We also show the effect of the size of hollow nanoparticle on the spin behavior where the spin non-collinearity increases (for fixed value of surface anisotropy) as the diameter of the hollow nanoparticle increases due to the significant increase in surface-to-volume ratio, the thickness being constant. Moreover, the thickness of the hollow nanoparticle shell influences the spin configuration and thus the relation between surface anisotropy and the size or the thickness of the hollow nanoparticle is established.

Magnetic Disorder in Nanostructured Materials

Abstract This chapter deals with the effect of magnetic disorder on macroscopic magnetic properties of nanoparticles. Due to their rich crystal chemistry, nanoparticles of spinel ferrites will be taken as a model system. After a short overview on magnetism at the nanoscale, a physical description of magnetic disorder and experimental investigation will be given. Then several examples on the effect of magnetic disorder and more in general on the spin structure on macroscopic magnetic structure will be discussed. In addition, particular attention will be given on the possibility to have a “molecular control” of magnetic disorder, discussing the role of molecules bonded on particles surface. Finally, new perspective in the investigation of magnetic disorder at the nanoscale will be discussed.

Modeling of hysteresis loops by Monte Carlo simulation

Recent advances in MC simulations of magnetic properties are rather devoted to non-interacting systems or ultrafast phenomena, while the modeling of quasi-static hysteresis loops of an assembly of spins with strong internal exchange interactions remains limited to specific cases. In the case of any assembly of magnetic moments, we propose MC simulations on the basis of a three dimensional classical Heisenberg model applied to an isolated magnetic slab involving first nearest neighbors exchange interactions and uniaxial anisotropy. Three different algorithms were successively implemented in order to simulate hysteresis loops: the classical free algorithm, the cone algorithm and a mixed one consisting of adding some global rotations. We focus particularly our study on the impact of varying the anisotropic constant parameter on the coercive field for different temperatures and algorithms. A study of the angular acceptation move distribution allows the dynamics of our simulations to be characterized. The results reveal that the coercive field is linearly related to the anisotropy providing that the algorithm and the numeric conditions are carefully chosen. In a general tendency, it is found that the efficiency of the simulation can be greatly enhanced by using the mixed algorithm that mimic the physics of collective behavior. Consequently, this study lead as to better quantified coercive fields measurements resulting from physical phenomena of complex magnetic (nano)architectures with different anisotropy contributions.