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Oxidation of nanometer-sized iron particles

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Abstract

The evolution of the oxidation of ultrafine (5 nm diameter) α-iron particles in ambient air has been studied using Mössbauer spectroscopy and electron microscopy. A 1–2 nm thick oxide layer was found to appear almost immediately, whereafter the oxidation proceeded rather slowly. The rate of oxidation can be understood from the Caberra-Mott model of oxidation of metal surfaces. The oxide formed consists of a mixture of Fe3O4 and γ-Fe2O3, but with the magnetic properties significantly modified due to the finite size of the oxide crystallites, e.g. the magnetic hyperfine fields are somewhat smaller than for the bulk Fe3O4 and γ-Fe2O3, and a very strong spin-canting was revealed. A Verwey transition was found to occur between 12 and 80 K. The Debye temperature of the oxide layer was found to be about 185 K for the thinnest observed oxide layer, increasing to about 215 Kafter exposure of the α-iron particles to air for one week.

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Author notes

  1. M. D. Bentzon

    Present address: NKT Research Center, DK-2605, Brøndby, Denmark

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Physics Department, Technical University of Denmark, DK-2800, Lyngby, Denmark

    S. Linderoth, S. Mørup & M. D. Bentzon

  2. Materials Department, Risø National Laboratory, DK-4000, Roskilde, Denmark

    S. Linderoth

Authors
  1. S. Linderoth
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  2. S. Mørup
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  3. M. D. Bentzon
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Linderoth, S., Mørup, S. & Bentzon, M.D. Oxidation of nanometer-sized iron particles. J Mater Sci 30, 3142–3148 (1995). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01209229

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