Highly crystalline and monodispersed octanoic acid coated γ-Fe2O3 magnetic nanoparticles were synthesized by the thermal decomposition of iron(0) pentacarbonyl. Different ratios of chloroform and methanol (5:1 to 1:1 by volume) were used as the dispersing agent for the nanoparticles in order to determine if mixed solvent system would prevent nanoparticles aggregations by creating a significantly larger solvent sphere that would further stabilize these nanoparticles in solution. By using the Langmuir-Blodgett (LB) technique, compressed monolayers of nanoparticles at the air-water interface were prepared. The monolayers were then transferred onto carbon coated Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) grids using either the LB or Langmuir-Schaefer (LS) methods. TEM images reveal that highly crystalline packing of nanoparticles can be achieved by preparing LB films using a chloroform and methanol mixture in a 4:1 ratio. The average diameter of the nanoparticles and the average interparticle spacing were determined to be 2.8±0.7 nm and 1.9±0.4 nm, respectively. The interparticle spacing is comparable with the theoretical prediction of 1.8 nm, which shows octanoic acid does not interdigitate during the packing process. Results suggest that applying a mixed solvent system of chloroform and methanol to disperse octanoic acid coated maghemite nanoparticles can reduce aggregation of these particles in a thin film thus promoting more ordered nanoparticle packing.

Preparation of octanoic acid coated γ-Fe2O3 nanoparticles monolayers using a mixed solvent system

251st National Meeting (2016)

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