Fabrication of magnetic response composite based on wood veneers by a simple in situ synthesis method

Using chitosan (CS)-modified wood as a scaffold, a magnetic surface was constructed via a simple in situ synthesis method in this paper. The effects of iron ions concentrations on crystalline structure and magnetic properties of the composite were investigated. The composites were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM). SEM analysis revealed that the iron oxide particles uniformly deposited on the wood surface. The mineralogy of iron oxide was identified by XRD and XPS analysis as the spinel phase magnetite. In addition, the CS acted as a bridge linking the magnetite coating and wood substrates, which is a key factor for the formation of their strong bonding forces. VSM measurement indicated that the as-synthesized composites were magnetically soft at room temperature, and the saturation magnetizations M s increased from 14.07 to 57.46 memu, the remanence magnetization M r increased from 0.57 to 2.77 memu, and the coercivity H c decreased from 17.02 to 14.29 Oe with an increase in iron ions concentration from 0.4 to 2.0 mol/L. The magnetic property of the composites was easily tailored by adjusting the iron ion concentration, thus providing novel applications of the natural resources wood.