Direct synthesis of maghemite, magnetite and wustite nanoparticles by flame spray pyrolysis

Magnetic iron-oxide nanoparticles have been prepared by flame spray pyrolysis (FSP) under controlled atmosphere. This way controlled and direct flame synthesis of Fe2O3 (maghemite), Fe3O4 (magnetite) and FeO (wustite) particles is possible by a scalable process. The Fe oxidation state was controlled by varying the fuel to air ratio during combustion as well as by varying the valence state of the applied Fe precursor. The as-prepared materials were characterized by electron microscopy, nitrogen adsorption, X-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy. Magnetic properties were investigated with SQUID, which unravelled superparamagnetic behaviour for all materials and typical features for the corresponding crystal structures and particle sizes. Maximum magnetisation was achieved for a mixture of maghemite and magnetite.