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Agglomerated superparamagnetic iron
oxide nanoparticles can easily and in large scale be
precipitated from iron salt solutions. Although the
process is well known, it is ambiguously either assumed
that magnetite or maghemite is obtained. The first part
of our study clarifies this question using X-ray absorption
spectroscopy. For further processing of the nanoparticles,
i.e., for giving them a surface functionality or
incorporating them into composites, it is important to
break the agglomerates and individualize the particles
at first. This can effectively be done with nitric acid
treatment. The influence of this process on the particles
chemistry and structure was analyzed in great detail
using X-ray diffraction, X-ray absorption, and smallangle
X-ray scattering. In contrast to our expectation,
no oxidation from magnetite (Fe3O4) to maghemite (γ-
Fe2O3) was found; the formal valence of the particles in
any case is magnetite (Fe3O4). Instead, an increase in
the particles' surface disorder was discovered from
X-ray absorption analyses and high-resolution transmission
electron microscopy. The acid treatment
roughens and distorts the surface of the nanoparticles
which is connected with an increased spin disorder.
We report on the formation of polymer-stabilized superparamagnetic single-core and multi-core maghemite nanoparticles. The particle formation was carried out by coprecipitation of Fe(II) and Fe(III) sulfate in a continuous aqueous process using a micromixer system. Aggregates containing 50 primary particles with sizes of 2 nm were formed at a reaction temperature of 30 °C. These particles aggregated further with time and were not stable. In contrast, stable single-core particles with a diameter of 7 nm were formed at 80 °C as revealed by small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) coupled in-line with the micromixer for particle characterization. X-ray diffraction and TEM confirmed the SAXS results. X-ray absorption near-edge structure spectroscopy (XANES) identified the iron oxide phase as maghemite.