Solvothermal Synthesis and Magnetic Properties of Monodisperse Ni0.5Zn0.5Fe2O4 Hollow Nanospheres

The monodisperse Ni0.5Zn0.5Fe2O4 nanospheres have been synthesized via a simple solvothermal method. The effects of reactant concentration on structural and magnetic properties have been studied. X-ray diffraction analysis results indicate that the lattice constant and crystallite size can be tuned by controlling reactant concentration. The nanosphere size monotonically decreases from 238 to 35 nm with increasing reactant concentration. The magnetic studies show that blocking temperature is enhanced, and these single-domain particles are super-paramagnetism at room temperature. The hollow nanospheres exhibit a high saturation magnetization value of 52.6 emu/g. The nanospheres with various diameters exhibit different magnetic saturation values which may be caused by the domain structure, surface effects and the distribution of metal ions on A and B sites. These superparamagnetic Ni0.5Zn0.5Fe2O4 nanospheres are expected to have potential application in biomedicine and magnetic fluid technology.