One-step solvothermal synthesis of Fe 3O 4@C core-shell nanoparticles with tunable sizes

Abstract

We report the synthesis of Fe 3O 4@C coreshell nanoparticles (FCNPs) by using a facile one-step solvothermal method. The FCNPs consisted of Fe 3O 4 particles as the cores and amorphous uniform carbon shells. The content of Fe 3O 4 is up to 81.6wt%. These coreshell nanoparticles are aggregated by primary nanocrystals with a size of 1012nm. The FCNPs possess a hollow interior, high magnetization, excellent absorption properties and abundant surface hydroxyl groups. A possible growth mechanism of the FCNPs is proposed. The role of glucose in regulating the grain size and morphology of the particles is discussed. The absorption properties of the FCNPs towards Cr(VI) in aqueous solution is investigated. We demonstrate that the FCNPs can effectively remove more than 90wt% of Cr(VI) from aqueous solution. © 2012 IOP Publishing Ltd.