Investigation of Surfactant Effect on Agglomeration of Magnetite Nanoparticles in Ferrofluid

Ghanbari, M.; Ghasemi, E.; Baghshahi, S.

Investigation of Surfactant Effect on Agglomeration of Magnetite Nanoparticles in Ferrofluid

Authors

¹ Departement of Material Engineering, Islamic Azad University Science and Research Branche

² Inorganic Pigment and Glazes Department, Institute for Color Science and Technology

³ Department of Technical and Engineering, Imam Khomeini International University

Abstract

In this research the effects of surfactant concentration and its addition time in the synthesis procedure of kerosene based ferrofluid were investigated. Magnetite nanoparticles were prepared by co-precipitation method and were dispersed in Kerosene as carrier liquid. Oleic acid was used as surfactant. Powder X-ray diffraction was used to phase identification and crystallite size was calculated via scherrer formula. For investigating of surfactant adhesion on particles Fourrier transform infrared spectroscopy was used. Magnetic properties were studied using alternative gradient force measurement. Size and distribution of agglomerates were studied by dynamic laser scattering. Results show that addition of surfactant before reaction effectively prevents from agglomeration. If oleic acid is added about 10wt% before reaction, hydrodynamic size and particle size will be 21nm and 13nm respectively. It was revealed that the size of agglomerates and their distribution are effectively changed when the concentration and addition time of surfactant is changed.

Keywords