The production of flower-like NiFe2O4 superstructures consisting of nanosheets via the thermolysis of a heterometallic oxo-centered trinuclear complex

Flower-like NiFe2O4 superstructures consisting of nanosheets have been successfully synthesized by direct thermolysis of a heterometallic oxo-centered trinuclear complex [NiFe2O(CH3COO)(6)(H2O)(3)center dot 2H(2)O] (NiFe-HOTC) at 400 degrees C for 6 h in a horizontal tube furnace. The composition and structure of the products were investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and infrared spectra (IR). XRD analysis revealed a pure ferrite phase with high crystallinity. Morphological investigation by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) showed NiFe2O4 flowers with average diameter varying from 0.5 to 3 mu m consist of nanosheets with average edge length in the range of 60-300 nm and thickness of about 30 nm. Furthermore, energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX) demonstrated that the atom ration of Ni, Fe and O is 1:2:4. In addition, magnetic measurements showed that the obtained Flower-like NiFe2O4 are ferromagnetic at room temperature. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.