Nanoparticle aggregation and relaxation effects in ferrofluids: studied through anisotropic light scattering

We have investigated the aggregation and dissociation dynamics of 6-nm size Fe3O4 nanoparticles coated by tetra methyl ammonium hydroxide (TMAH) and the same size γ-Fe2O3 nanoparticles precipitated inside an alginate hydrogel matrix, both in aqueous suspensions, using dc magnetic-field-induced time-dependent light scattering patterns. For the Fe3O4 ferrofluid, a strong anisotropy in light scattering was observed for light propagating perpendicular to the magnetic field. This behavior is attributed to the aggregation of the nanoparticles into chain-like and column-like structures oriented parallel to the magnetic field. A significantly different behavior is observed for the aqueous suspension of γ-Fe2O3 nanoparticles precipitated in alginate hydrogel, for which the application of the dc magnetic field produced little to no change in the light scattering patterns. We attribute this difference to the constrained random distribution of γ-Fe2O3 nanoparticles precipitated in the alginate matrix. Correlating the results from this investigation with our previous study of magneto-thermal measurements in ac fields [Vaishnava et al., J. Appl. Phys. 102, 063914 (2007)], we conclude that for a ferrofluid to exhibit significant thermal effects under an ac magnetic field, it should exhibit optical anisotropy by developing a chain like structure under the influence of a dc magnetic field

Electric-Field Control of a Magnetic Phase Transition in Ni\u3csub\u3e3\u3c/sub\u3eV\u3csub\u3e2\u3c/sub\u3eO\u3csub\u3e8\u3c/sub\u3e

We report on the electric-field tuning of a magnetic phase transition temperature (TL) in multiferroic Ni3V2O8 thin films. The simultaneous magnetic and ferroelectric transition in Ni3V2O8 exhibits a clear dielectric anomaly; we monitored TL under applied electric and magnetic fields using dielectric measurements. The transition temperature increases by 0.2 K±0.05 K when the sample is biased approximately 25 MV/m compared to zero bias. This electric-field control of the magnetic transition can be qualitatively understood using a mean-field model incorporating a tri-linear coupling between the magnetic order parameters and spontaneous polarization. The shape of the electric field-temperature phase boundary is consistent with the proper order parameter for the multiferroic phase in Ni3V2O8 being a linear combination of the magnetic and ferroelectric correlation functions

Effects of Varying Sufactant Chain Lenghts on the Magnetic, Optical and Hyperthermia Properties of Ferrofluids

We report studies of the structural, magnetic, magneto-thermal and magneto-optic properties of dextran, oleic acid, lauric acid and myristic acid surfacted Fe3O4 nanoparticles of hydrodynamic sizes ranging from 32 nm to 92 nm. All the samples showed saturation magnetization of ̃50 emu/g, significantly smaller than the bulk value for Fe3O4, together with superparamagnetic behavior. The ac magnetization measurements on the dextran coated nanoparticles showed frequency dependent blocking temperature, consistent with superparamgnetic blocking. The ferrofluid heating rates in a 250 Gauss, 100 kHz ac magnetic field varied with the chain lengths of the surfactants, with higher heating rates for longer chains. DC-magnetic-field-induced light scattering patterns produced by two orthogonal He-Ne laser beams passing through the ferrofluid sample revealed different optical signatures for different surfactants

Careful starving:reflections on (not) eating, caring and anorexia

We report an experimental investigation of time dependent anisotropic light scattering by an aqueous suspension of tetramethyl ammonium hydroxide coated Fe3O4 nanoparticles (∼6nm) under the ON-OFF transient of an external dc magnetic field. The study employs the synchronized recording and measurement of the two magnetic-field-induced light-scattering patterns produced by two identical orthogonal He-Ne laser beams passing through the ferrofluid sample and propagating parallel and perpendicular to the applied field, respectively. From these patterns, we extract the time dependence of the induced optical anisotropy, which provides a measure of the characteristic time scale and kinematic response for field-induced structure formation in the sample. We propose that the time evolution of the scattering patterns, which is very fast at short times and significantly slower at long times, can be explained using a model based on a two-stage chain formation and coarsening processes

Synthesis of acicular hydrogoethite (alpha-FeOOH center dot xH(2)O; 0.1 < x < 0.22) particles using morphology controlling cationic additives and magnetic properties of maghemite derived from hydrogoethite

A method for the preparation of acicular hydrogoethite (alpha -FeOOH.xH(2)O, 0.1 < x < 0.22) particles of 0.3-1 mm length has been optimized by air oxidation of Fe( II) hydroxide gel precipitated from aqueous (NH4)(2)Fe(SO4)(2) solutions containing 0.005-0.02 atom% of cationic Pt, Pd or Rh additives as morphology controlling agents. Hydrogoethite particles are evolved from the amorphous ferrous hydroxide gel by heterogeneous nucleation and growth. Preferential adsorption of additives on certain crystallographic planes thereby retarding the growth in the perpendicular direction, allows the particles to acquire acicular shapes with high aspect ratios of 8-15. Synthetic hydrogoethite showed a mass loss of about 14% at similar to 280 degreesC, revealing the presence of strongly coordinated water of hydration in the interior of the goethite crystallites. As evident from IR spectra, excess H2O molecules (0.1- 0.22 per formula unit) are located in the strands of channels formed in between the double ribbons of FeO6 octahedra running parallel to the c- axis. Hydrogoethite particles constituted of multicrystallites are formed with Pt as additive, whereas single crystallite particles are obtained with Pd (or Rh). For both dehydroxylation as well as H-2 reduction, a lower reaction temperature (similar to 220 degreesC) was observed for the former (Pt treated) compared to the latter (Pd or Rh) (similar to 260 degreesC). Acicular magnetite (Fe3O4) was prepared either by reducing hydrogoethite (magnetite route) or dehydroxylating hydrogoethite to hematite and then reducing it to magnetite (hematite- magnetite route). According to TEM studies, preferential dehydroxylation of hydrogoethite along < 010 > leads to microporous hematite. Maghemite (gamma -Fe2O3 (-) (delta), 0 < <delta> < 0.25) was obtained by reoxidation of magnetite. The micropores are retained during the topotactic transformation to magnetite and finally to maghemite, whereas cylindrical mesopores are formed due to rearrangement of the oxygen sublattice from hexagonal to cubic close packing during the conversion of hydrogoethite to magnetite and then to maghemite. Accordingly, three different types of maghemite particles are realized: strongly oriented multicrystalline particles, single crystalline acicular particles with micropores or crystallites having mesopores. Higher values of saturation magnetization (<sigma>(s) = 74 emu g(-1)) and coercivity (H-c = 320 Oe) are obtained for single crystalline mesoporous particles. In the other cases, the smaller size of particles and larger distribution of micropores decreases sigma (s) considerably ( < 60 emu g(-1)) due to relaxation effects of spins on the surface atoms as revealed by Mossbauer spectroscopy

Whispering Gallery Mode Assisted Enhancement in the Power Conversion Efficiency of DSSC and QDSSC Devices Using TiO₂ Microsphere Photoanodes

Mesoporous TiO₂ nanoparticles are excellent photoanodes for sensitized solar cells (SSC). However, a significant loss in the photoconversion efficiency (PCE) occurs due to the inefficient light absorption. Large Mie scattering from mesoporous micron-sized spheres could be used to enhance the absorption and hence the PCE. Here, we show that a composite comprising a TiO₂ mesoporous microsphere with smooth surface (SμS-TiO₂) exhibiting whispering gallery modes (WGM) and a commercial TiO₂ mesoporous nanoparticle (Degussa P25) with an optimum ratio (80:20 wt %) shows significant enhancement in PCE of DSSC and QDSSC devices. SμS-TiO₂ exhibits strong WGM as evidenced from the photoluminescence studies carried out using a laser with an excitation wavelength λ_exc = 325 nm. These microspheres sensitized with N719 dye or CdSe/CuInS₂ QDs are shown to exhibit emission characteristics strongly coupled to WGM resulting in an enhanced PCE in SSC. Increases in PCE of ∼24% in DSSC devices and 80–95% in QDSSC devices of 0.25 cm² area are demonstrated. Thus, TiO₂ composite exhibiting WGM can be used as a generic photoanode to achieve maximum PCE for Grätzel type sensitized solar cells. This study suggests special class of solar cells called “whisperonic solar cells”

Nanoparticle aggregation and relaxation effects in ferrofluids: studied through anisotropic light scattering

We have investigated the aggregation and dissociation dynamics of 6-nm size Fe3O4 nanoparticles coated by tetra methyl ammonium hydroxide (TMAH) and the same size γ-Fe2O3 nanoparticles precipitated inside an alginate hydrogel matrix, both in aqueous suspensions, using dc magnetic-field-induced time-dependent light scattering patterns. For the Fe3O4 ferrofluid, a strong anisotropy in light scattering was observed for light propagating perpendicular to the magnetic field. This behavior is attributed to the aggregation of the nanoparticles into chain-like and column-like structures oriented parallel to the magnetic field. A significantly different behavior is observed for the aqueous suspension of γ-Fe2O3 nanoparticles precipitated in alginate hydrogel, for which the application of the dc magnetic field produced little to no change in the light scattering patterns. We attribute this difference to the constrained random distribution of γ-Fe2O3 nanoparticles precipitated in the alginate matrix. Correlating the results from this investigation with our previous study of magneto-thermal measurements in ac fields [Vaishnava et al., J. Appl. Phys. 102, 063914 (2007)], we conclude that for a ferrofluid to exhibit significant thermal effects under an ac magnetic field, it should exhibit optical anisotropy by developing a chain like structure under the influence of a dc magnetic field

Tuning of the Magnetocrystalline Anisotropy in CoxFe3-xO4 Nanoparticles Through Cobalt Doping

We report on the effect of cobalt doping on the magnetocrystlline anisotropy of CoxFe3-xO4 nanopaticles. The CoxFe3-xO4 (

Possible weak ferromagnetism in pure and <I>M</I> (Mn, Cu, Co, Fe and Tb) doped NiGa<SUB>2</SUB>O<SUB>4</SUB> nanoparticles

We report on the structural and magnetic properties of nanoparticles of NiGa2O4 and 5 at.% M doped (M = Mn2+, Cu2+, Co2+, Fe3+ and Tb3+) at Ga site of NiGa2O4, synthesized by gel-combustion method. The particle size, as investigated by X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy, could be fine tuned by a controlled annealing process. Weak ferromagnetism becomes significant, when the particles are in the nano regime (5–7 nm). The magnetization becomes insignificant at larger particle size (∼ 150 nm). Cu2+ and Tb3+ doped NiGa2O4 nanoparticles showed relatively large room temperature ferromagnetism compared to other doped (Fe, Mn and Co) and undoped NiGa2O4 samples. The weak ferromagnetism observed in the nanoparticles of NiGa2O4, which is antiferromagnetic in the bulk, is due to the surface disordered states with uncompensated spins

Magnetic and Optical Response of Tuning the Magnetocrysalline Anisotropy in Fe3O4 Nanoparticle Ferrofluids by Co Doping

CoxFe3−xO4 (0⩽x⩽0.10) nanoparticles coated with tetramethyl ammonium hydroxide as a surfactant were synthesized by a co-precipitation technique. The Fe:Co ratio was tuned up to x=0.10 by controlling the Co2+ concentration during synthesis. The mean particle size, determined by transmission electron microscopy, ranged between 15±4 and 18±4 nm. The superparamagnetic blocking temperature and the magnetocrystalline anisotropy constant of the ferrofluids, determined using ac and dc magnetic measurements, scale approximately linearly with cobalt concentration. We also find distinct differences in the optical response of different samples under an applied magnetic field. We attribute changes in field-induced optical relaxation for the x=0 and 0.05 samples to differences in the anisotropic microstructure under an applied magnetic field