Variations in the saturation magnetization of nanosized NiFe2O4 particles on adsorption of carboxylic acids

Abstract

This work investigated magnetization changes in NiFe2O4 nanoparticles induced by the adsorption of a series of carboxylic acids. The application of formic acid resulted in a significant 8.6% decrease in the magnetization of NiFe2O4 nanoparticles at 18,000 Oe. With increasing carbon bond number in the saturated carboxylic acids, reductions in the magnetization of NiFe2O4 nanoparticles became around 4%. All unsaturated carboxylic acids produced approximately equivalent reductions in the magnetization, regardless of their double bond content. Based on these results, the observed NiFe2O4 magnetization changes appear to depend on either the polarity or the molecular size of the carboxylic acids and are believed to be caused by canting or pinning of spins in the vicinity of particle surfaces following adsorption of the acids.

Keywords

• NiFe2O4
• Particles
• Magnetic properties
• Adsorption
• Carboxylic acids