Local Structure and Magnetism of Fe₂O₃ Maghemite Nanocrystals: The Role of Crystal Dimension.

ABSTRACT: Here we report on the impact of reducing the crystalline size on the structural and magnetic properties of γ-Fe₂O₃ maghemite nanoparticles. A set of polycrystalline specimens with crystallite size ranging from ~2 to ~50 nm was obtained combining microwave plasma synthesis and commercial samples. Crystallite size was derived by electron microscopy and synchrotron powder diffraction, which was used also to investigate the crystallographic structure. The local atomic structure was inquired combining pair distribution function (PDF) and X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS). PDF revealed that reducing the crystal dimension induces the depletion of the amount of Fe tetrahedral sites. XAS confirmed significant bond distance expansion and a loose Fe-Fe connectivity between oct

SUBMITTER: Coduri M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7279456 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature