Magnetic and Structural Properties of Iron Oxide Nanoparticles Produced by Thermal Decomposition of Precursors in Solution

In this study, the method of thermal decomposition of iron(III) oleate at different ratios of oleic acid and octadecene-1 was used to obtain iron oxide nanoparticles (IONPs). Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) showed that they all had a spherical shape and a diameter of 8–9 nm, and FT-IR spectroscopy revealed the presence of oleate shells in them, which ensure the stability of the colloidal solutions of these nanoparticles in nonpolar solvents. For all synthesized IONPs, the sizes of the crystalline core formed by iron oxides were determined using X-ray diffraction analysis and magnetometry. The sizes of the oleate protective shells were established by comparison with the TEM data. These values were in agreement with those from the literature.