Magnetic properties of Co-ferrite-doped hydroxyapatite nanoparticles having a core/shell structure

PETCHSANG, N.; PON-ON, W.; HODAK, J.H.; TANG, I.M.

JOURNAL OF MAGNETISM AND MAGNETIC MATERIALS

Año: 2009 vol. 321 p. 1990 - 1995

0304-8853

The magnetic properties of Co-ferrite-doped hydroxyapatite (HAP) nanoparticles of composition Ca10-3xFe2xCox(PO4)6(OH)2 (where x=0, 0.1, 0.2, 0.3, 0.4 and 0.5% mole) are studied. Transmission electron microscope micrograms show that the 90 nm size nanoparticles annealed at 1250 °C have a core/shell structure. Their electron diffraction patterns show that the shell is composed of the hydroxyapatite and the core is composed of the Co-ferrite, CoFe2O4. Electron spin resonance measurements indicate that the Co2+ ions are being substituted into the Ca(1) sites in HAP lattice. X-ray diffraction studies show the formation of impurity phases as higher amounts of the Fe3+/Co2+ ions which are substituted into the HAP host matrix. The presence of two sextets (one for the A-site Fe3+ and the other for the B-site Fe3+) in the Mössbauer spectrum for all the doped samples clearly indicates that the CoFe2O4.cores are in the ferromagnetic state. Evidence of the impurity phases is seen in the appearance of doublet patterns in the Mössbauer spectrums for the heavier-doped (x=0.4 and 0.5) specimens. The decrease in the saturation magnetizations and other magnetic properties of the nanoparticles at the higher doping levels is consistent with some of the Fe3+ and Co2+ which being used to form the CoO and Fe2O3 impurity phase seen in the XRD patterns. © 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.