Large-scale Facile Synthesis of Monodisperse Iron Oxide Nanoparticles in Alcohol

The large-scale synthetic method of hydrophobic soluble FeO and FeO nanoparticles was developed with the thermal decomposition technique. From the characteristic analysis with a transmission electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction, the obtained iron oxide nanomaterials showed a cubic structure with a size of ca. 2 nm. The oxidation states of the nanoparticles were investigated via X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis. The tetramethylammonium hydroxide treatment might be induced a phase transfer of the iron oxide nanocrystals from a hydrophobic state to a hydrophilic one. The carbon-coated hydrophilic soluble FeO nanoparticles could be prepared by a solvothermal reaction of the particles, glucose, and HO.