Synthesis and physical characterization of Y2O3/Fe3O4 nanocomposites using small angle X-ray and neutron scattering techniques
摘要
Nanocomposites of yttrium oxide/magnetite (Y2O3/Fe3O4) were prepared by sol–gel method with different concentrations of magnetite (0, 20, 25, 30, 35 and 100 wt%). The prepared structure was confirmed using XRD and EDX analysis. The obtained XRD patterns confirmed the formation of Y2O3/Fe3O4 composite with individual peaks corresponding to both Y2O3 and Fe3O4. The HR-TEM images showed nearly spherical particles for all the prepared samples with an average particle size of 23–35 nm. The small angle x-ray and neutron scattering methods (SAXS, SANS) were used to investigate the morphological structure of the prepared composites and confirm the results obtained from other methods. The magnetic properties were investigated using vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM). The hysteresis parameters for the composites have nearly superparamagnetic behavior at room temperature with different saturation magnetization (Ms) and magnetic coercivity (Hc) according to the magnetite doping percentage. The initial permeability (µi) of the prepared samples was measured as a function of frequency at room temperature. The value of µi showed independent behavior on the applied frequency for all the samples, while it was affected by the saturation magnetization Ms and particle size. The obtained data showed a significant effect of Y2O3 on the magnetite, which can be useful in several applications for the whole composite.