Green synthesis of Fe 3 O 4 nanoparticles by one-pot saccharide-assisted hydrothermal method

Abstract

A saccharide-assisted hydrothermal route starting from a single iron precursor was employed to study the influence of reducing saccharides on the formation of iron oxide (Fe 3 O 4 ) nanoparticles (NPs). Fe 3 O 4 NPs, which were confirmed by X-ray diffraction analysis, were successfully synthesized by a hydrothermal method in which mannose, maltose, lactose, and galactose served as reducing agents. The formation of Fe 3 O 4 NPs was also confirmed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Samples exhibited different crystallite sizes estimated based on line profile fitting as 12 ± 2, 9 ± 2, 13 ± 3, and 9 ± 3 nm for mannose, maltose, lactose, and galactose, respectively. Magnetic characterization results revealed superparamagnetic features of the NPs obtained with galactose, mannose, and maltose.