Coprecipitation nanoarchitectonics for the synthesis of magnetite: a review of mechanism and characterization

Magnetite nanoparticles have attracted interest of researchers from different science fields such as medicine, biology, physics, or chemistry due to their multifunctional properties including biocompatibility, superparamagnetism and low toxicity. Several methods have been developed to synthesize magnetic nanoparticles with controlled size, shape, and magnetic properties. Among them, coprecipitation is the most widely used because of several advantages such as high-yield production of nanoparticles, its simplicity, low-cost and its eco-friendly reaction conditions, but it also has low reproducibility. To achieve the magnetic nanoparticles with the desired properties, the investigation and control of reaction parameters are essential. In this article, the mechanism of coprecipitation reaction for magnetite nanoparticle synthesis and recent studies in reaction parameters controlling the particle properties will be reviewed. In addition, the most used methods for structural and magnetic characterization of magnetite and magnetite functionalized nanoparticles are presented and exemplified.