Synthesis of carbon-encapsulated superparamagnetic colloidal nanoparticles with magnetic-responsive photonic crystal property

The core/shell structure of magnetite/carbon colloidal nanoparticles (CNPs) with average size about 190 nm has been prepared via a one-step solvothermal process using ferrocene as a single reactant. The composition, phase, and morphology of the nanostructure have been characterized by X-ray diffraction, and transmission electron microscopy. Magnetic measurements reveal the superparamagnetic nature of the material with a magnetization saturation of 40.2 emu/g at room temperature. Under the induction of an external magnetic field, strong diffraction in the visible light spectrum can be observed in a suspension of CNPs in ethanol and the diffraction wavelength varies with the strength of the external magnetic field. After being stored for eight months in an ethanol solution, these CNPs can still diffract visible lights when a magnetic field was applied, which is attributed to carbon coating and creating carboxyl groups on the surface of carbon shells introducing both a steric hindrance and electrostatic repulsions between magnetite nanoparticles.