Size and surface effects on the magnetic properties of NiO nanoparticles

• Type: Article in International Scientific Journal
• Date: 2011

Authors

proenca, mariana p. (Author) FCUP; sousa, celia t. (Author) Other; pereira, andre m. (Author) FCUP; tavares, pedro b. (Author) Other; ventura, joao (Author) FCUP; vazquez, manuel (Author) Other; araujo, joao p. (Author) FCUP

Journal

Title: Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics

Vol. 13

Pages: 9561-9567

ISSN: 1463-9076

Publisher: Royal Society of Chemistry

Indexing

ISI Web of Knowledge - 125 Citations

Scopus - 137 Citations

Other information

Authenticus ID: P-002-ZB1

DOI: 10.1039/c1cp00036e

Abstract (EN): NiO nanoparticles (NPs) were prepared by a sol-gel process using the citrate route. The sol-gel parameters were tuned to obtain samples with different average particle sizes, ranging from 12 to 70 nm. Magnetic characterization revealed an increase in the blocking temperature with the diameter of the NPs and an increase in the effective magnetic anisotropy (K-eff) with decreasing particle size. The magnetic moment per particle was calculated for all samples using the susceptibility value at T = 300 K. The number of uncompensated spins per NP was found to be proportional to n(S)(1/3) (n(S) equivalent to total number of spins), indicating that they are randomly distributed on the NP surface. For small diameters (< 30 nm) the surface anisotropy constant was estimated, using, for NiO NPs, a recent model describing the evolution of K-eff with particle size. Hysteretic loops performed at low temperatures after field cooling displayed loop shifts (similar to 6.5 kOe in the field axis and similar to 0.18 emu g(-1) vertically), coercive field enhancement (H-C approximate to 4.8 kOe) and training effects for the smaller NPs. The sample with NPs of larger diameters presented magnetic properties close to those of bulk NiO.

Language: English

Type (Professor's evaluation): Scientific

No. of pages: 7