Optimizing Cobalt Ferrite Nanocrystal Synthesis Using a Magneto-optical Probe

Abstract

A modified approach toward synthesizing colloidal CoFe2O4 nanocrystals, using mixed types of organometallic precursors, is presented and compared to CoFe2O4 nanocrystals that have been produced according to previously reported synthetic techniques. Although the standard characterization techniques, such as electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, magnetometry, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and X-ray diffraction, provided similar results for nanocrystals from three different syntheses, magneto-optical (MO) spectroscopy is the only technique that has revealed significant differences between these preparation techniques. The MO spectra displayed substantial differences in the incorporation of Co2+ ions within the ferrite crystal structure, making it a unique probe for optimizing the synthesis of stoichiometrically and structurally precise cobalt-ferrite nanoparticles.