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We have investigated interaction effects in two different systems of iron oxide nanoparticles. Samples of γ-Fe2O3 and Fe3O4 nanoparticles were synthesized using a matrix-mediated precipitation reaction and a chemical co-precipitation technique respectively. The structural properties of these nanoparticles were studied using x-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy. We also used temperature dependent ac magnetic susceptibility measurements to carefully investigate the interactions among these nanoparticles. Our analysis showed that the characteristic interaction energy does not depend simply on the average spacing between the nanoparticles but is likely to be strongly influenced by the fluctuations in the nanoparticle distribution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The structure, dc magnetization and ac susceptibility characteristics of the rare-earth (R = La,Dy) ionsubstituted cobalt-ferrites (CoO.Fe1.925La0.075O3 and CoO.Fe1.925Dy0.075O3) are evaluated. R-substituted Co-ferrites crystallize in the cubic inverse spinel phase. The irreversible temperature (Tirr) between zero field cooled (ZFC) and field cooled (FC) magnetization for CoO.Fe1.925La0.075O3 and CoO.Fe1.925Dy0.075O3 determined from the temperature variation of magnetization measurements are 283 and 292 K, respectively. The broadening of ZFC magnetization and more than one maximum indicates the coexistence of short-range ferrimagnetic clusters of different size with a long-range ferrimagnetic phase. Magnetization curves indicate no saturation up to 30 kOe suggesting the canted spin structure inside the clusters. The relaxation times of spin clusters calculated using theVogel-Fulcher law for the frequency-dependent ac susceptibility measurements are on the order of ∼10-6 s. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The low-temperature dynamics of a magnetic nanoparticle system (γ-Fe2O3-alginate nanocomposite with average particle size around 4 nm) have been studied by superconducting quantum interference device measurements. Using different temperature and field protocols, memory phenomena in the dc magnetization and magnetic relaxation have been observed at temperatures below its blocking temperature TB=37 K. However, aging experiments show an absence of any waiting time dependence in the magnetization relaxation. These observations indicate that the dynamics of this nanoparticle system are governed by a wide distribution of particle relaxation times which arise from the distribution of particle sizes and weak interparticle interactions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]