Synthesis of Fe3O4 Nanoparticles using PEG Template by Electrochemical Method

Abstract

One of the nanoparticles which have been developed is magnetite. Due to its magnetism and reactivity, this particle can be used in various fields including technology, environment, and biomedical. One simple method to synthesize magnetite is electro-oxidation of iron in the water. The particle size produced by this method can be adjusted by controlling the electrochemical cell parameters. Unfortunately, this method usually releases polydispersed particles. One solution to overcome this problem is by using an in situ PEG in the synthesis process. In this research, PEG 6000 was chosen as a template, so the synthesis process was performed by electro-oxidation of iron in the dilute solution of PEG. Particles with an average diameter of 62.5 nm were obtained. The monodispersity, surface area, and crystallinity of the particles increased in this way. The specific surface area increased from 55.322 to 391.314 m2/g. The results of XRD and FTIR analysis showed that PEG acted as a template in the synthesis process. In addition, the yield obtained with PEG template was larger than without the template. This method is quite promising as a way of synthesis of magnetite nanoparticles.