Synthesis, Surface Functionalization, and Characterization of MoO₂(acac)₂-Immobilized Magnetite Nanoparticles

In this study, iron(II) and iron(III) salts were hydrolyzed alkalinely to create magnetite nanoparticles. Tetraethyl orthosilicate was hydrolyzed and condensed in the presence of magnetite to coat the resultant nanoparticles with a silica shell. An aminopropylsilane reagent was used to further modify the silica-coated magnetite nanoparticles in order to add functional amine groups to their surface. A coordination reaction was used in the last functionalization stage to immobilize a MoO₂(acac)₂ complex that had been reported in the literature onto the amine-functionalized nanoparticles. Repeated water washing was used to get rid of extra chemicals. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Fourier-transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy verified the successful immobilization of MoO₂(acac)₂ on the magnetite surface. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) was used to examine the morphological characteristics and particle size distribution of the produced nanoparticles, and vibrating sample magnetometry (VSM) was used to assess their magnetic behavior. The successful stability of the MoO₂(acac)₂ complex on the surface of magnetite nanoparticles is amply demonstrated by the characterization data.