Maghemite Interparticle Interactions in γ–Fe2O3/Ag nanocomposites

Maghemite and silver nanoparticles were prepared using the ionic coordination reaction technique. X-ray diffractograms (XRD) show that all the samples have a high degree of purity. The average particle sizes obtained by XRD and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) vary from 9 to 13 nm for the γ–Fe2O3 particles and from 130 to 142 nm for the Ag particles. The magnetic properties of the samples have been studied by room-temperature DC magnetization and Mossbauer spectroscopy. These measurements indicate the presence of γ–Fe2O3 particles with interparticle interactions of varying strength, resulting in three magnetic regimes: superparamagnetic, superparamagnetic with interactions, and blocked with interactions.