Automatized and desktop AC-susceptometer for the in situ and real time monitoring of magnetic nanoparticles' synthesis by coprecipitation

Abstract

The main purpose of this work was to design, develop, and construct a simple desktop AC susceptometer to monitor in situ and in real time the coprecipitation synthesis of magnetic nanoparticles. The design incorporates one pair of identical pick-up sensing coils and one pair of Helmholtz coils. The picked up signal is detected by a lock-in SR850 amplifier that measures the in- and out-of-phase signals. The apparatus also includes a stirrer with 45°-angle blades to promote the fast homogenization of the reaction mixture. Our susceptometer has been successfully used to monitor the coprecipitation reaction for the synthesis of iron oxide nanoparticles.