Preparation of iron oxides using ammonium iron citrate precursor: Thin films and nanoparticles

Ammonium iron citrate (C6H8O7·nFe·nH3N) was used as a precursor for preparing both iron-oxide thin films and nanoparticles. Thin films of iron oxides were fabricated on silicon (111) substrate using a successive-ionic-layer-adsorption-and-reaction (SILAR) method and subsequent hydrothermal or furnace annealing. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) images of the iron-oxide films obtained under various annealing conditions show the changes of the micro-scale surface structures and the magnetic properties. Homogenous Fe3O4 nanoparticles around 4 nm in diameter were synthesized by hydrothermal reduction method at low temperature and investigated using transmission electron microscopy (TEM).