Synthesizing Iron Oxide Nanostructures: The Polyethylenenemine (PEI) Role

Sergio Lentijo Mozo, Efisio Zuddas, Alberto Casu, Andrea Falqui

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

16 Scopus citations

Abstract

Controlled synthesis of anisotropic iron oxide nanoparticles is a challenge in the field of nanomaterial research that requires an extreme attention to detail. In particular, following up a previous work showcasing the synthesis of magnetite nanorods (NRs) using a two-step approach that made use of polyethylenenemine (PEI) as a capping ligand to synthesize intermediate β-FeOOH NRs, we studied the effect and influence of the capping ligand on the formation of β-FeOOH NRs. By comparing the results reported in the literature with those we obtained from syntheses performed (1) in the absence of PEI or (2) by using PEIs with different molecular weight, we showed how the choice of different PEIs determines the aspect ratio and the structural stability of the β-FeOOH NRs and how this affects the final products. For this purpose, a combination of XRD, HRTEM, and direct current superconducting quantum interference device (DC SQUID) magnetometry was used to identify the phases formed in the final products and study their morphostructural features and related magnetic behavior.
Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)22
JournalCrystals
Volume7
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - Jan 12 2017

Bibliographical note

KAUST Repository Item: Exported on 2020-10-01
Acknowledgements: The authors acknowledge financial support from the KAUST start-up and baseline funding of Andrea Falqui.

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Synthesizing Iron Oxide Nanostructures: The Polyethylenenemine (PEI) Role'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this