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Magnetically induced heterogeneous catalysis has been attracting attention due to its high energy efficiency and flexibility for dynamic reactor control. Iron wool is a commercial, low-cost, and versatile heating agent, which has been used in several magnetic catalysis studies, but its heating properties have never been investigated. Here, the properties of three types of Fe wool were studied using optical and electronic microscopy, x-ray diffraction, and measurements of both heating power and high-frequency hysteresis loops. The effects of strand width, packing, and magnetic field amplitude and frequency were studied. A maximum specific absorption rate (SAR) around 700 W/g under a rms field of 47.4 mT at 93 kHz was measured for the larger width Fe wool. High-frequency hysteresis loops were used to quantify the contribution of hysteresis losses and eddy currents to total heating. Eddy currents contribute 65%–90% to the global heating depending on the strand width. Coating the wool with SiO2 and Ni has negative effects on the SAR but none on hysteresis losses. It is interpreted as originating from the cut-off of inter-wire eddy currents due to the insulating (SiO2, oxidized Ni) nature of the coating. Last, it was found that adding more Fe wool in a given volume mostly decreases the SAR. This effect could be not only due to the absorption and/or screening of the field by surface strands but also due to magnetic interactions. The results described in this work give insights into the magnetic heating of microscale magnetic materials and optimize their use for heterogeneous catalysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The addition of zinc complexes to the syntheses of indium phosphide nanocrystals (InP NCs) has become commonplace, due to their ability to alter and significantly improve observed optical properties. In this paper, the role of zinc complexes on the synthesis and observed properties of InP is carefully examined. Produced InP and InP:Zn2+ NCs are thoroughly characterized from both structural (core and surface) and optical perspectives over a wide range of Zn2+ compositions (0%–43% atomic content). We find no differences in the physical (NC size and polydispersity) and structural properties (crystallographic phase) of InP and InP:Zn2+ NCs. Optically, significant changes are observed when zinc is added to InP syntheses, including blueshifted absorption edges and maxima, increased quantum yields, and the near elimination of surface state emission. These improved optical properties result from surface passivation by zinc carboxylate moieties. Changes to the optical properties begin at zinc concentrations as low as 5%, demonstrating the high sensitivity of InP optical properties to exogenous species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The heating power of magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) submitted to high-frequency magnetic fields is generally probed using calorimetric methods, which suppose that the heating power does not evolve with time. Among the several parameters governing MNP heating properties, their organization into chains under the influence of the applied magnetic field is of key importance, though the dynamic of this phenomenon has been rarely studied experimentally. In the present article, time-resolved high-frequency hysteresis loops are used to probe the dynamics of chain formation on a sample of 17.3 ± 2.2 nm FeNi3 MNPs. Chains are formed on a timescale, which strongly depends on the magnetic field amplitude, ranging from several tens of seconds to less than 100 ms, but does not depend on frequency in the range studied here (from 9 to 78 kHz). Both the heating power and hysteresis loop squareness increase with time as chains progressively form. These findings have important methodological consequences when defining protocols or analyzing data issued from calorimetric measurements since, in samples where chains form, the heating power varies on a time scale that can be comparable to typical measurement times. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Magnetic heating, namely, the use of heat released by magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) excited with a high-frequency magnetic field, has so far been mainly used for biological applications. More recently, it has been shown that this heat can be used to catalyze chemical reactions, some of them occurring at temperatures up to 700 °C. The full exploitation of MNP heating properties requires the knowledge of the temperature dependence of their heating power up to high temperatures. Here, a setup to perform such measurements is described based on the use of a pyrometer for high-temperature measurements and on a protocol based on the acquisition of cooling curves, which allows us to take into account calorimeter losses. We demonstrate that the setup permits to perform measurements under a controlled atmosphere on solid state samples up to 550 °C. It should in principle be able to perform measurements up to 900 °C. The method, uncertainties, and possible artifacts are described and analyzed in detail. The influence on losses of putting under vacuum different parts of the calorimeter is measured. To illustrate the setup possibilities, the temperature dependence of heating power is measured on four samples displaying very different behaviors. Their heating power increases or decreases with temperature, displaying temperature sensibilities ranging from −2.5 to +4.4% K−1. This setup is useful to characterize the MNPs for magnetically heated catalysis applications and to produce data that will be used to test models permitting to predict the temperature dependence of MNP heating power. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report on hyperthermia measurements on a colloidal solution of 14.2±1.5 nm monodisperse FeCo nanoparticles (NPs). Losses as a function of the magnetic field display a sharp increase followed by a plateau, which is what is expected for losses of ferromagnetic single-domain NPs. The frequency dependence of the coercive field is deduced from hyperthermia measurement and is in quantitative agreement with a simple model of noninteracting NPs. The measured losses (1.5 mJ/g) compare to the highest of the literature, although the saturation magnetization of the NPs is well below the bulk one. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nanoparticles of nickel have been obtained in solution through reaction of an organometallic precursor, Ni(COD)[sub 2] (COD=cycloocta-1,5-diene), with dihydrogen, in the presence of various stabilizing agents. X-ray diffraction studies evidence a face-centered-cubic structure for all samples. Spherical isolated superparamagnetic nanoparticles (d∼4.5 nm) are produced in the presence of poly(N-vinylpyrrolid-2-one). They display a magnetization value comparable to that of bulk nickel, as determined from superconducting quantum iinterference device (SQUID) measurements. Exposure of the surface of the nanoparticles to CO, leading to CO coordination as monitored by infrared spectroscopy, or to methanol, strongly reduces their magnetization. This reduction corresponds respectively to one or two magnetically inactive layers of nickel atoms at the nanoparticles surface. The production of elongated nanoparticles was favored when either trioctylphosphineoxide or hexadecylamine (HDA) were used as stabilizing agents. In this case, SQUID measurements show that only HDA preserves the magnetization of the surface. This stabilizing agent was selected for the production of nickel nanorods. The influence of ligands on the effective anisotropy is discussed. © 2003 American Institute of Physics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report on the magnetic and hyperthermia properties of 5.5 nm in diameter iron nanoparticles synthesized by organometallic chemistry, which display the bulk magnetization. Quantitative analysis of alternative susceptibility measurements allows the determination of the effective anisotropy Keff=1.3×105 J m-3. Hyperthermia measurements are performed at a magnetic field up to 66 mT and at frequencies in the range of 5-300 kHz. Maximum measured specific absorption rate (SAR) is 280 W/g. SAR displays a square dependence with the magnetic field below 30 mT but deviates from this power law at higher value. SAR is linear with the applied frequency for μ0H =19 mT. These results are discussed in the light of linear response theory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Stable iron nanoparticles have been synthesised by the decomposition of {Fe(N[Si(CH3)3]2)2}2 under dihydrogen pressure. Those conditions lead to a system of monodisperse and metallic nanoparticles which diameter is less than 2 nm and stabilized by HN[Si(CH3)3]2. The magnetization is found to be MS=1.92μB/at., i.e., 10% lower than the bulk value. The Mössbauer spectrum is fitted by two contributions of metallic iron. The magnetic anisotropy energy constant increases up to 5.2×105 J/m3, i.e., ten times the bulk one. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The influence of a transverse static magnetic field on the magnetic hyperthermia properties is studied on a system of large-losses ferromagnetic FeCo nanoparticles. The simultaneous measurement of the high-frequency hysteresis loops and of the temperature rise provides an interesting insight into the losses and heating mechanisms. A static magnetic field of only 40 mT is enough to cancel the heating properties of the nanoparticles, a result reproduced using numerical simulations of hysteresis loops. These results cast doubt on the possibility to perform someday magnetic hyperthermia inside a magnetic resonance imaging setup. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The exciton spin dynamics of zinc oxide nanoparticles (NPs) of sizes ranging from 2.3 to 6.6 nm has been studied by time-resolved photoluminescence. Following a quasiresonant linearly polarized excitation, the exciton photoluminescence of an ensemble of NPs exhibits a linear polarization of 15%, demonstrating the optical alignment of exciton in zinc oxide NPs. Within the accuracy of our experimental setup, no decay time of the linear polarization is observed on the exciton lifetime scale, reflecting an exciton spin relaxation time longer than 1 ns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report on the synthesis and preparation of oriented nanomaterials of single crystalline metallic Co nanorods of 6 nm in diameters and two different aspect ratios (7 and 15). They display optimized magnetic properties, with a spontaneous magnetization just below the bulk one, and large coercive fields (up to 6.5 kOe at 300 K) as a result of coherent switching (i.e., Stoner and Wohlfarth mechanism). We measured a strong effective anisotropy very close to the expected value resulting from the sum of shape and magnetocrystalline contributions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using Raman spectrometry, we obtained results showing the influence of organic ligands on the vibrational properties of small zinc oxide nanocrystals (2.1–6.8 nm). It is shown that it is possible to distinguish both mechanical and dielectric effects from the E2 nonpolar phonon mode and from a surface mode, theoretically predicted but rarely observed. It has been found that E2 phonon is not dependent on the nanocrystal size, but its frequency decreases with increasing ligand length, characteristic of a tensile stress on the nanocrystal. We report also the observation of a surface optical mode, the experimental frequency of which is in reasonable agreement with available calculations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report here the study by optical microspectroscopy of crystalline ZnO nanoparticles produced by room-temperature organometallic synthesis. We present resonant Raman scattering spectrum obtained from different sized nanostructures from which the longitudinal-optical (LO) phonon frequency has been found to be very weakly dependent on their size. Low-temperature photoluminescence measurements reveal that (i) the band-edge PL of ZnO nanoparticles is dominated by weakly bound localized exciton, and that (ii) its energy does not exhibit any spatial confinement effect. These results enlighten the need for surface passivation of the nanoparticles to improve their UV emission potential. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The magnetic remanent states of 4-nm-diameter single-crystalline Co nanowires are characterized using off-axis electron holography. Measurements are obtained from isolated wires, as well as from bundles of wires and "multibranch" wires joined by 15-nm-diameter nodes of Co. The fraction of magnetically active moments in a single 4-nm-diameter wire is measured to be 1.01±0.19, indicating that, to within experimental error, the wire is fully magnetized throughout its diameter. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ultrafine cobalt particles have been reproducibly synthesized by decomposition of an organometallic precursor in the presence of a stabilizing polymer. The size of the stable monodisperse colloids thus obtained is seen to strongly depend on the nature of the polymer: around 4.2 nm diameter in polyphenylenoxide (PPO) and around 1.4 nm diameter in polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP). Investigations by wide angle x-ray scattering (WAXS) and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) give evidence for a size dependence of the structural organization, and hence for a close relationship between structure and synthesis conditions. Co/PPO particles exhibit a hexagonal compact structure with the metal-metal bond length of the bulk material while Co/PVP ones display an original structure. We show that the unusual features of the experimental data in Co/PVP clearly point to a nonperiodic polytetrahedral structure. Successful simulations of the HRTEM and WAXS results have been obtained using models built on the basis of a polytetrahedral arrangement. © 2000 American Institute of Physics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]