Magnetic investigations of titanium-doped gamma iron oxides dispersed in polymers

The preparation and characterization of titanium-doped iron oxides-styrene isoprene styrene block copolymer composites is reported. The precursor, as-synthesized nanoparticles, contains akaganeite, maghemite, and titanium-doped maghemite. Hysteresis loops obtained by SQUID measurements revealed an exchange biased field assigned to the presence of akaganeite nanoparticles. It was found that the coercive field and the exchange bias field decreases as the temperature of the sample is increased. The temperature dependence of the magnetization revealed a blocking temperature of about 220 K. The ESR spectra in the temperature range 150 K to about 300 K are single broad resonance lines. It was observed that the resonance line position is strongly temperature dependent due to the combined action of the external and molecular magnetic fields. The decrease of the resonance line width as the temperature is increased is governed by the reorientation of the magnetization. Thermally activated movements of magnetic nanoparticles within the soft phase (polyisoprene) of the matrix may also contribute to resonance line narrowing. (c) 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.