Fe₃C/Fe nanoparticles with urea: Synthesis, structure and magnetic properties

Fe₃C/Fe nanocomposites were synthesized by a sol–gel method. Using urea as carbon source and reduce agent in the reaction process. The CTAB works as the surfactant and the bromine contained in CTAB plays a catalytic role. Appropriate choices of the amount of urea and CTAB, reaction temperature and time are very important to obtain high-quality of products. Above 650 °C, the precursor gel turned into the nanocomposites composed of iron carbide and iron. Their structures and magnetic properties are characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and vibrating sample magnetometry (VSM). The possible formation mechanism of as-prepared nanostructures is discussed.