Amorphous coatings formed with mono-, di-, and tetra-phosphonic acids on barium hexaferrite (BHF) nanoplatelets using various synthesis conditions. The coatings, synthesized in water with di- or tetra-phosphonic acids, were thicker than that could be expected from the ligand size and the surface coverage, as determined by thermogravimetric analysis. Here, we propose a mechanism for coating formation based on direct evidence of the surface dissolution/precipitation of the BHF nanoplatelets. The partial dissolution of the nanoplatelets was observed with atomic-resolution scanning transmission electron microscopy, and the released Fe(III) ions were detected with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy and electron energy loss spectroscopy in amorphous coating. The strong chemical interaction between the surface Fe(III) ions with phosphonic ligands induces the dissolution of BHF nanoplatelets and the consequent precipitation of the Fe(III)-phosphonates that assemble into a porous coating. The so-obtained porous nanomagnets are highly responsive to a very weak magnetic field (in the order of Earth's magnetic field) at room temperature, which is a major advantage over the classic mesoporous nanomaterials and metal-organo-phosphonic frameworks with only a weak magnetic response at a few kelvins. The combination of porosity with the intrinsic magneto-crystalline anisotropy of BHF can be exploited, for example, as sorbents for heavy metals from contaminated water.
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