Ferromagnetic resonance of horse spleen ferritin: core blocking and surface ordering temperatures.

In nature, ferritin, an iron-storage molecule, is found in species ranging from bacteria to man. In the past 50 years its chemical, physical, and magnetic properties have been studied, searching to relate function and structure. Horse spleen ferritin has been investigated by EPR at temperatures between 7 and 290 K. These spectra change from an isotropic line at 290 K to an anisotropic one at 19 K, with a behavior consistent with a system of particles that undergoes superparamagnetic relaxation. A blocking temperature of (116+/-9) K is obtained. A new temperature-dependent signal is observed in the low field region at temperatures higher than 80 K. At 7 K no EPR signal appears, suggesting (14+/-5) K as the Néel temperature of surface spins. Analysis of the temperature dependence of the distance between EPR lines extrema, under the view of two theoretical models, allowed the evaluation of magnetic parameters. These parameters are 2K/M=2.7 x 10(3) Oe and MV=1.9 x 10(-17) emu or K/M=1.3 x 10(3) Oe and MV=2.0 x 10(-17) emu, where K is the anisotropy energy per unit volume, M is the sample magnetization, and V is the superparamagnetic core volume. The results are also discussed, and some structural models in the literature are considered. Copyright 2001 Academic Press.