Magnetic properties and structural analysis on spinel MnFe ₂ O ₄ nanoparticles prepared <i>via</i> non‐aqueous microwave synthesis

Phase-pure 6 nm spinel MnFe2O4 nanoparticles with high specific surface area of 145 m2 g−1 were successfully prepared via microwave-assisted non-aqueous sol-gel synthesis. The phase evolution during postsynthetic thermal treatment was investigated systematically by various methods, including powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD), pair distribution function (PDF) analysis, and Raman spectroscopy. Our results show that the material decomposes to non-spinel binary compounds α-Mn2O3 α-Fe2O3 at temperatures between 400 600 °C. application potential 3d5 Mn(II) Fe(III) ions respect magnetic properties demonstrated superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID) magnetometry, as-synthesized reaching a saturation magnetization 2.62 μB per formula unit (63.5 Am2 kg−1) 10 K. We further highlight visible-light response synthesized powders, making materials promising for light-related applications, e. g. photocatalytic hydrogen evolution. An important additional feature is their good dispersibilty in polar or non-polar media, as result colloidal stabilization betaine hydrochloride, oleic acid combined oleylamine, citric acid.