Microwave-assisted chemical reduction routes for direct synthesis of (fct) L1 phase of Fe-Pt.

Microwave-assisted chemical reduction route has been explored for the direct synthesis of fct L1(0) - phase of Fe-Pt nanoparticles in the present work. Effects of microwave power and irradiation time on the growth process are systematically studied. Using this facile and high yield technique we could tune particle size from 7 to 17 nm. Prepared Fe-Pt NPs exhibited ordered face centered tetragonal (fct) L1(0) phase without any post-synthesis treatment. The particle size and magnetic properties of the prepared Fe-Pt were found to be very sensitive to the microwave irradiation power, while influence of exposure time was insignificant. The hysteresis measurements were performed at 300 K to study magnetic properties of the synthesized Fe-Pt as a function of crystallite size. Coercivity and saturation magnetization were observed to be decreasing with diminishing particle size. The microwave-assisted route is found to be a simple technique for direct synthesis of metal alloys and may prove to be a potential tool of high density data storage materials such as Fe-Pt.