Magnetic properties of different phases iron oxide nanoparticles prepared by micro emulsion-hydrothermal method

Shakeel Ahmad; Henmei Ni; Fahad S Al-Mubaddel; Moustafa A Rizk; Mohamed Ben Ammar; Afaq Ullah Khan; Zainab M Almarhoon; Abdulaziz A Alanazi; Magdi E A Zaki

doi:10.1038/s41598-025-85145-5

Magnetic properties of different phases iron oxide nanoparticles prepared by micro emulsion-hydrothermal method

Sci Rep. 2025 Jan 6;15(1):878. doi: 10.1038/s41598-025-85145-5.

Authors

Shakeel Ahmad¹, Henmei Ni², Fahad S Al-Mubaddel³, Moustafa A Rizk^{4

5}, Mohamed Ben Ammar⁶, Afaq Ullah Khan⁷, Zainab M Almarhoon⁸, Abdulaziz A Alanazi⁹, Magdi E A Zaki¹⁰

Affiliations

¹ School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Southeast University, Nanjing, 211189, PR China.
² School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Southeast University, Nanjing, 211189, PR China. [email protected].
³ Department of Chemical Engineering, College of Engineering, King Saud University, Riyadh, 11421, Saudi Arabia.
⁴ Chemistry Department, Faculty of Science, Suez Canal University, Ismailia, Egypt.
⁵ Chemistry Department, Faculty of Science and Arts (sharourah), Najran University, Najran, Saudi Arabia.
⁶ Center for Scientific Research and Entrepreneurship, Northern Border University, Arar, 73213, Saudi Arabia.
⁷ School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Jiangsu University, 301 Xuefu Road, Zhenjiang, 212013, China.
⁸ Chemistry Department, College of Science, King Saud University, P.O. Box 2455, Riyadh, 11451, Saudi Arabia.
⁹ Department of Chemistry, College of Science and Humanities in Al-Kharj, Prince Sattam bin Abdulaziz University, Al-Kharj, 11942, Saudi Arabia.
¹⁰ Department of Chemistry, College of Science, Imam Mohammad Ibn Saud Islamic University (IMSIU), Riyadh, 11623, Saudi Arabia. [email protected].

Abstract

In this study, we report the synthesis of iron oxide nanoparticles (FeONPs) using micro-emulsion-hydrothermal method. By adjusting the synthesis temperature, we successfully produced FeO nanorods and nanospheres. In addition, the 2-octanol, and the surfactant cetyltrimethylammonium bromide served as a solvent in the synthesis process. Using iron nitrate hexahydrate as the salt precursor allowed for the formation of FeONPs with varied sizes, shapes and phases. The synthesized materials were extensively characterized using XRD, SEM, TEM, EDS, FTIR, and XPS techniques. However, the structural analysis revealed rhombohedral (hematite), and (magnetite) crystal structures in the materials synthesized at different temperature and durations, with particles ranged in size from 12 to 97 nm. More importantly, the magnetic characterization, performed with a vibrating sample magnetometer and SQUID magnetometer, indicated that the NPs showed not clear superparamagnetic behavior. In conclusion, this work demonstrates the synthesis of FeONPs with controlled size, shape and phase using microemulsion hydrothermal technique, with detailed characterization offering valuable insights into their magnetic and structural properties.

Keywords: FeONPs; Magnetic properties; Microemulsion-hydrothermal method.