Issue 20, 2011
From the journal:

Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics

Size and surface effects on the magnetic properties of NiO nanoparticles

Mariana P. Proenca,ab   Célia T. Sousa,a   André M. Pereira,a   Pedro B. Tavares,c   João Ventura,a   Manuel Vazquezb  and  João P. Araujo*a  

* Corresponding authors

a IFIMUP and IN – Institute of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology and Dep. Física e Astronomia, Univ. Porto, Rua do Campo Alegre 687, 4169-007 Porto, Portugal
E-mail: jearaujo@fc.up.pt

b Instituto de Ciencia de Materiales de Madrid, CSIC, 28049 Madrid, Spain

c Dep. Química e CQ-VR, Univ. Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro, 5001-801 Vila Real, Portugal

Abstract

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 (Keff) 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 n1/3S (nS ≡ 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 Keff with particle size. Hysteretic loops performed at low temperatures after field cooling displayed loop shifts (∼6.5 kOe in the field axis and ∼0.18 emu g−1 vertically), coercive field enhancement (HC ≈ 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.

Graphical abstract: Size and surface effects on the magnetic properties of NiO nanoparticles

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Article information

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1039/C1CP00036E
Article type
Paper
Submitted
05 Jan 2011
Accepted
22 Mar 2011
First published
15 Apr 2011

Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys., 2011,13, 9561-9567

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Size and surface effects on the magnetic properties of NiO nanoparticles

M. P. Proenca, C. T. Sousa, A. M. Pereira, P. B. Tavares, J. Ventura, M. Vazquez and J. P. Araujo, Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys., 2011, 13, 9561 DOI: 10.1039/C1CP00036E

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