Journal of Magnetism and Magnetic Materials

Carbon encapsulated iron-cementite Fe–Fe3C nanoparticles with ‘‘core–shell’’ architecture, were synthesized by a single-step solid-state pyrolysis of iron phthalocyanine at the temperature 900 ◦C with pyrolysis time of 180 min. The morphology and size distribution of the fabricated nanocomposites have been investigated using high resolution transmission and scanning transmission electron microscopies which revealed Fe–Fe3C nanoparticles with an average diameter of about 7.5 nm embedded in a carbon matrix. The structure, composition, and morphology of Fe–Fe3C nanoparticles in the carbon matrix were analyzed by X-ray based techniques combined with Reactive Force-Field Molecular Dynamics simulations, Mössbauer spectroscopy to outline the ‘‘core–shell’’ architecture. Such evidence is further supported by the magnetic features of hysteresis loops at 10 and 300 K as well as the magnetization of Fe–Fe3C nanoparticles is properly approximated with magnetic contributions of Fe and Fe3C bulk counterparts.