One-pot reaction to synthesize superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles by adding phenol as reducing agent and stabilizer

An improved thermal decomposition method was used to directly prepare water-soluble Fe3O4 magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) with relatively higher quality via reductive decomposition of ferric acetylacetonate [Fe(acac)3], in the presence of benzyl ether and phenol, in which inexpensive phenol acted as reducing agent and stabilizer, produce the semi phenol-benzoquinone coated on the Fe3O4 and make the Fe3O4·MNPs water-soluble and the colloidal solution stable. By changing the molar ratio of phenol to Fe(acac)3 and reaction time, the size of Fe3O4·MNPs could be varied from 19.3 ± 4.4 nm to 9.7 ± 1.5 nm, with the saturation magnetizations in the range of 51.3–62.9 emu/g.