Solid-state synthesis of the ZnO-Fe3O4 nanocomposite: Structural and magnetic properties

The structural and magnetic properties of ZnO-Fe3O4 nanocomposites produced by the solid-state reaction Zn + 3Fe(2)O(3) -> ZnO + 2Fe(3)O(4) upon annealing of Zn/alpha-Fe2O3 films under vacuum at a temperature of 450A degrees C have been studied. Ferrimagnetic Fe3O4 clusters with an average grain size of 40 nm and a magnetization of 430 emu/cm(3) at room temperature, which are surrounded by a ZnO layer with a large contact surface, have been synthesized. The magnetic characteristics of the ZnO-Fe3O4 nanocomposite in the temperature range of 10-300 K have been presented.