Effect of application of a high magnetic field on the microstructure of Fe substituted layered double hydroxide clay for a magnetic application

In this study, the synthesis of Fe substituted layered double hydroxide (LDH) clays with unique layered structures, Mg∕Fe-LDH, was attempted by a coprecipitation method, and subsequent decomposition behaviors on in situ heat treatments under a high magnetic field were investigated for these LDH clays. Specifically, the evaluations of microstructure of Mg∕Fe-LDH were in detail carried out after in situ heat treatments with a high magnetic field of 10T. As a result, it was found that the thermal decomposition behaviors of Mg∕Fe-LDH on in situ heat treatments under the exposure of 10T were significantly different from the ones under 0T and the formation of magnesioferrite (MgFe2O4) with a spinel-type structure was enhanced by the application of a high magnetic field. Furthermore, there were some distinct differences between the morphologies of MgFe2O4 prepared between under 0 and 10T that were caused by the anisotropic magnetic susceptibility of MgFe2O4. Applying in situ heat treatment under 10T to the decomposition of Mg∕Fe-LDH led to the successful synthesis of nanosized MgFe2O4 at lower temperatures.