FY2010 - Oak Ridge National Laboratory

Director’s R&D Fund—
Neutron Sciences
NEUTRON SCIENCES
05004
Neutron Scattering Study of Magnetic and Spin Dynamic Behavior
in Amine-Stabilized Transition Metal and Transition Metal
Oxide Nanoparticles
Andrew D. Christianson, Sheila N. Baker, William T. Heller, Mark D. Lumsden, Stephen E. Nagler, and
Brian C. Sales
Project Description
We will study amine-stabilized transition-metal-based nanoparticles for novel, size-dependent magnetic
effects and spin dynamics. An integral part of the research is to develop synthetic protocols for magnetic
nanoparticles amenable to the requirements of inelastic neutron scattering experiments. The primary
means of doing this is to deuterate the ligands of amine-stabilized magnetic nanoparticles. Once sufficient
quantities of nanoparticles are synthesized, neutron scattering experiments will be used to elucidate the
fundamental magnetic behavior. Metallic nanoparticles are very active fields of research in the basic and
applied sciences. These materials are being intensively studied for a wide variety of applications
including catalysis and advanced functional materials. The physical constraints resulting from the size of
such systems have produced new behaviors, some of which have the potential to be of industrial interest.
ORNL is well positioned to take a leadership role in the study of nanoscale magnetism due to the
combination of world-class materials synthesis and neutron scattering instrumentation.
Mission Relevance
Nanoscale science has been called out in numerous reports as a fundamental technological challenge that,
when solved, will lead to profound advances in the current state of the art in many areas such as drug
delivery, pollution control, magnetic data storage, and energy efficiency. These reports discuss at great
lengths the potential future applications as well as areas where very little is known about the fundamental
behavior at the nanoscale. Of particular interested for this project is the fundamental behavior of magnetic
nanoparticles. Given the potential of functional magnetic nanoparticles to contribute to some of the
important problems facing society, a fundamental understanding of the basic physical properties is
critical. As such, the fundamental research into nanoscale magnetism falls into the purview of DOE.
Consequently, the project will provide key additional knowledge of the physical behavior of magnetic
nanoparticles and as such has direct relevance to the mission of the Division of Materials Sciences and
Engineering in the DOE Office of Basic Energy Sciences.
Results and Accomplishments
In the project’s first year, we successfully synthesized MnO magnetic nanoparticles with both
hydrogenated and deuterated capping ligands. In the second year of the project, the synthetic protocol was
developed further to minimize the use of high-cost deuterated 1-octadecanol. The nanoparticles’ size and
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