A magnetization study of Prussian-blue analogue NaxMny [Fe(Cn)6]

Abstract

In this report, we present the results of a study on the effects of the particle size on the properties of the Prussian blue (PB) analog NaxMny[Fe(CN)6]. A novel synthesis method of the NaxMny[Fe(CN)6] nano-particles using an organic solvent, formamide, is employed. The size of the PB particles is found to be 100-150 nm for the samples prepared in the formamide solvent, which is much smaller than that of the samples prepared using water only. The broadening of the X-ray diffraction peaks of the nano-sized PB samples is attributed to the lattice disorder and a dramatic reduction in the particle size. The compositions of the samples are confirmed by an energy-dispersive X-ray analysis (EDAX), and the result proves that the samples are actually NaxMny[Fe(CN)6] Prussian blue. The UV-vis spectra show a broad intervalence charge-transfer (CT) band in the visible region between 400 and 700 nm, and the absorption decreases abruptly in the green region for the nano-sized PB sample. A divergence between the field cooled (FC) and zero field cooled (ZFC) magnetization curves is observed for the nano-sized PB sample at 11 K, indicating that nanoparticles in the sample are single domain superparamagnets with a blocking temperature of 11 K. Our results reveal that the nano-sized PB samples show significantly different optical and magnetic properties than those of the bulk PB samples. © 2008 Journal of Magnetics.