LAUSR

Abstract Evenly mixed Fe-Y2O3 magnetic nanocomposites have been successfully prepared through a facile and rapid wet-chemical based route with two steps. First, a sheet-like mixed oxide precursor was synthesized by solution combustion synthesis using ferric nitrate, yttrium nitrate and glycine as the iron source, yttrium source and fuel, respectively. Subsequently, Fe-Y2O3 nanocomposites with evenly dispersed Y2O3 nanoparticles were prepared through hydrogen reduction of the as-synthesized sheet-like mixed oxide precursor. The phase constituents, morphology, specific surface area and magnetic properties of the Fe-Y2O3 nanocomposites synthesized at different temperatures were studied in details. The Fe-Y2O3 nanocomposite reduced at 400 °C presents a rod-like morphology with a short axis size of ~20 nm and a length of ~60 nm. With the reduction temperature increasing, the average grain size and saturation magnetization of the Fe-Y2O3 nanocomposites gradually increase, while the coercivity and specific surface area decrease. The saturation magnetization value of the Fe-Y2O3 nanocomposite reduced at 600 °C reaches 190.3 emu/g, with an average crystalline size of ~64 nm.