Doping of inorganic materials in microreactors – preparation of Zn doped Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles

Simmons, M. D.; Jones, Naomi; Evans, D. J.; Wiles, Charlotte; Watts, P.; Salamon, Soma; Escobar Castillo, Marianela; Wende, Heiko; Lupascu, D. C.; Francesconi, M. Grazia

Abstract

Microreactor systems are now used more and more for the continuous production of metal nanoparticles and metal oxide nanoparticles owing to the controllability of the particle size, an important property in many applications. Here, for the first time, we used microreactors to prepare metal oxide nanoparticles with controlled and varying metal stoichiometry. We prepared and characterised Zn-substituted Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles with linear increase of Zn content (ZnxFe₃−xO₄ with 0 ≤ x ≤ 0.48), which causes linear increases in properties such as the saturation magnetization, relative to pure Fe₃O₄. The methodology is simple and low cost and has great potential to be adapted to the targeted doping of a vast array of other inorganic materials, allowing greater control on the chemical stoichiometry for nanoparticles prepared in microreactors.

Citation

Simmons, M. D., Jones, N., Evans, D. J., Wiles, C., Watts, P., Salamon, S., Escobar Castillo, M., Wende, H., Lupascu, D. C., & Francesconi, M. G. (2015). Doping of inorganic materials in microreactors – preparation of Zn doped Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles. Lab on a chip, 15(15), 3154-3162. https://doi.org/10.1039/c5lc00287g

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Jun 5, 2015
• Online Publication Date: Jun 5, 2015
• Publication Date: Jun 5, 2015
• Deposit Date: Jul 24, 2015
• Publicly Available Date: Jul 24, 2015
• Journal: Lab on a chip
• Print ISSN: 1473-0197
• Publisher: Royal Society of Chemistry
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 15
• Issue: 15
• Pages: 3154-3162
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1039/c5lc00287g
• Keywords: Microreactor systems , Metal oxide nanoparticles
• Public URL: https://hull-repository.worktribe.com/output/376821
• Publisher URL: http://pubs.rsc.org/en/Content/ArticleLanding/2015/LC/C5LC00287G#!divAbstract
• Additional Information: Copy of article first published in: Lab on a chip, 2015, v.15, issue 15.
• Contract Date: Jul 24, 2015