Effects of external factors on the arrangement of plate-liked Fe2O3 nanoparticles in cellulose scaffolds

To clarify the effects of the external factors on the alignment of the plate-like Fe2O3 nanoparticles in the cellulose matrix, different preparation methods under various conditions including low temperature, static and rotating magnetic, as well as uniaxial drawing were performed in present work. The results indicated that Fe2O3 nanoparticles synthesized in the cellulose scaffolds were randomly distributed before drying. A weak static and rotating magnetic field led to different alignments of the Fe2O3 nanoparticles in the cellulose matrix. Moreover, the uniaxial drawing of the composite films destroyed the regular distribution of the Fe2O3 nanoparticles, leading to the changing of the morphology of the nanoparticles from plate-like to rod-like. The interesting results revealed that the magnetic properties of the composite films could be controlled by modulating the alignment of the Fe2O3 nanoparticles in the cellulose scaffolds, which was very fascinating for the preparation of magnetic composite materials with controlled properties. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.