Synthesis of Magnetite Nanorods from the Reduction of Iron Oxy-Hydroxide with Hydrazine

Menuka Adhikari; Elena Echeverria; Gabrielle Risica; David N McIlroy; Michael Nippe; Yolanda Vasquez

doi:10.1021/acsomega.0c02928

Synthesis of Magnetite Nanorods from the Reduction of Iron Oxy-Hydroxide with Hydrazine

ACS Omega. 2020 Aug 27;5(35):22440-22448. doi: 10.1021/acsomega.0c02928. eCollection 2020 Sep 8.

Authors

Menuka Adhikari¹, Elena Echeverria², Gabrielle Risica³, David N McIlroy², Michael Nippe³, Yolanda Vasquez¹

Affiliations

¹ Department of Chemistry, Oklahoma State University, 107 Physical Sciences I, Stillwater, Oklahoma 74078, United States.
² Department of Physics, Oklahoma State University, 145 Physical Sciences II, Stillwater, Oklahoma 74078, United States.
³ Department of Chemistry, Texas A&M University, P.O. Box 30012, College Station, Texas 77843, United States.

Abstract

Nanowires and nanorods of magnetite (Fe₃O₄) are of interest due to their varied biological applications but most importantly for their use as magnetic resonance imaging contrast agents. One-dimensional (1D) structures of magnetite, however, are more challenging to synthesize because the surface energy favors the formation of isotropic structures. Synthetic protocols can be dichotomous, producing either the 1D structure or the magnetite phase but not both. Here, superparamagnetic Fe₃O₄ nanorods were prepared in solution by the reduction of iron oxy-hydroxide (β-FeOOH) nanoneedles with hydrazine (N₂H₄). The amount of hydrazine and the reaction time affected the phase and morphology of the resulting iron oxide nanoparticles. One-dimensional nanostructures of Fe₃O₄ could be produced consistently from various aspect ratios of β-FeOOH nanoneedles, although the length of the template was not retained. Fe₃O₄ nanorods were characterized by transmission electron microscopy, X-ray powder diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and SQUID magnetometry.