1. |
- De Toro, José A., et al.
(författare)
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Remanence Plots as a Probe of Spin Disorder in Magnetic Nanoparticles
- 2017
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Ingår i: Chemistry of Materials. - Washington, D.C., USA : American Chemical Society (ACS). - 0897-4756 .- 1520-5002. ; 29:19, s. 8258-8268
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Remanence magnetization plots (e.g., Henkel or delta M plots) have been extensively used as a straightforward way to determine the presence and intensity of dipolar and exchange interactions in assemblies of magnetic nanoparticles or single domain grains. Their evaluation is particularly important in functional materials whose performance is strongly affected by the intensity of interparticle interactions, such as patterned recording media and nanostructured permanent magnets, as well as in applications such as hyperthermia and magnetic resonance imaging. Here, we demonstrate that delta M plots may be misleading when the nanoparticles do not have a homogeneous internal magnetic configuration. Substantial dips in the delta M plots of gamma-Fe2O3 nanoparticles isolated by thick SiO2 shells indicate the presence of demagnetizing interactions, usually identified as dipolar interactions. results, however, demonstrate that it is the inhomogeneous spin structure of the nanoparticles, as most clearly evidenced by Mossbauer measurements, that has a pronounced effect on the delta M plots, leading to features remarkably similar to those produced by dipolar interactions. X-ray diffraction results combined with magnetic characterization indicate that this inhomogeneity is due to the presence of surface structural (and spin) disorder. Monte Carlo simulations unambiguously corroborate the critical role of the internal magnetic structure in the delta M plots. Our findings constitute a cautionary tale on the widespread use of remanence plots to assess interparticle interactions as well as offer new perspectives in the use of Henkel and delta M plots to quantify the rather elusive inhomogeneous magnetization states in nanoparticles.
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2. |
- Estrader, Marta, et al.
(författare)
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Origin of the large dispersion of magnetic properties in nanostructured oxides : FexO/Fe3O4 nanoparticles as a case study
- 2015
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Ingår i: Nanoscale. - : Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC). - 2040-3364 .- 2040-3372. ; 7:7, s. 3002-3015
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The intimate relationship between stoichiometry and physicochemical properties in transition-metal oxides makes them appealing as tunable materials. These features become exacerbated when dealing with nanostructures. However, due to the complexity of nanoscale materials, establishing a distinct relationship between structure-morphology and functionalities is often complicated. In this regard, in the FexO/Fe3O4 system a largely unexplained broad dispersion of magnetic properties has been observed. Here we show, thanks to a comprehensive multi-technique approach, a clear correlation between the magneto-structural properties in large (45 nm) and small (9 nm) FexO/Fe3O4 core/shell nanoparticles that can explain the spread of magnetic behaviors. The results reveal that while the FexO core in the large nanoparticles is antiferromagnetic and has bulk-like stoichiometry and unit-cell parameters, the FexO core in the small particles is highly non-stoichiometric and strained, displaying no significant antiferromagnetism. These results highlight the importance of ample characterization to fully understand the properties of nanostructured metal oxides.
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3. |
- Sanchez, Elena H., et al.
(författare)
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Simultaneous Individual and Dipolar Collective Properties in Binary Assemblies of Magnetic Nanoparticles
- 2020
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Ingår i: Chemistry of Materials. - : American Chemical Society (ACS). - 1520-5002 .- 0897-4756. ; 32:3, s. 969-981
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Applications based on aggregates of magnetic nanoparticles are becoming increasingly widespread, ranging from hyperthermia to magnetic recording. However, although some uses require collective behavior, others need a more individual-like response, the conditions leading to either of these behaviors are still poorly understood. Here, we use nanoscale-uniform binary random dense mixtures with different proportions of oxide magnetic nanoparticles with low/high anisotropy as a valuable tool to explore the crossover from individual to collective behavior. Two different anisotropy scenarios have been studied in two series of binary compacts: M1, comprising maghemite (gamma-Fe2O3) nanoparticles of different sizes (9.0 nm/11.5 nm) with barely a factor of 2 between their anisotropy energies, and M2, mixing equally sized pure maghemite (low-anisotropy) and Co-doped maghemite (high-anisotropy) nanoparticles with a large difference in anisotropy energy (ratio > 8). Interestingly, while the M1 series exhibits collective behavior typical of strongly coupled dipolar systems, the M2 series presents a more complex scenario where different magnetic properties resemble either "individual-like" or "collective", crucially emphasizing that the collective character must be ascribed to specific properties and not to the system as a whole. The strong differences between the two series offer new insight (systematically ratified by simulations) into the subtle interplay between dipolar interactions, local anisotropy and sample heterogeneity to determine the behavior of dense assemblies of magnetic nanoparticles.
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4. |
- Vasilakaki, Marianna, et al.
(författare)
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Effect of albumin mediated clustering on the magnetic behavior of MnFe2O4 nanoparticles : experimental and theoretical modeling study
- 2020
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Ingår i: Nanotechnology. - : IOP Publishing. - 0957-4484 .- 1361-6528. ; 31:2
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Over the last two decades, iron oxide based nanoparticles ferrofluids have attracted significant attention for a wide range of applications. For the successful use of these materials in biotechnology and energy, surface coating and specific functionalization is critical to achieve high dispersibility and colloidal stability of the nanoparticles in the ferrofluids. In view of this, the magnetic behavior of clusters of ultra-small MnFe2O4 nanoparticles covered by bovine serum albumin, which is known as a highly biocompatible and environmentally friendly surfactant, is investigated by magnetization measurements, and numerical simulations at an atomic and mesoscopic scale. The coating process with albumin produces a change in the structure, actual size and shape distribution of clusters of exchange coupled particles, giving rise to a distribution of blocking temperatures. The coated system exhibits a superspin glass (SSG) behavior with the SSG freezing temperatures similar to the uncoated ones, providing evidence that the strength of the dipolar interactions is not affected by the presence of the albumin. The DFT calculations show that the albumin coating reduces the surface anisotropy and the saturation magnetization in the nanoparticles leading to lower values of the coercive field in agreement with the experimental findings. Our results clearly demonstrate that the albumin coated clusters of MnFe2O4 particles are ideal systems for energy and biomedical applications since colloidal and thermal stability as well as biosafety is obtained through the albumin coating.
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