doi:10.1016/j.jmmm.2025.173288engCuello, Natalia I.Fornasin, Emiliano G.Oliva, Marcos I.Goya, Gerardo F.Marchetti, GustavoEimer, Griselda A.Elías, Verónica R.Maghemite and hematite nanowires synthesized by nanocasting: precursor effects on structural and magnetic propertiesART-2025-144504Mesoporous iron oxides with tailored structural and magnetic properties were synthesized using the SBA-15 silica template and two different iron precursors: Fe(NO3)3·9H2O and Fe(C5H7O2)3, denoted as FeM-1 and FeM-2, respectively. The synthesis involved a two-step impregnation-calcination process followed by silica removal. Comprehensive characterization was performed using techniques such as nitrogen adsorption–desorption isotherms, TEM, SEM-EDX, XRD, XPS, and Mössbauer spectroscopy, as well as magnetic measurements. The results revealed significant differences in structural and magnetic properties between the two samples. FeM-1 exhibited higher structural order, greater homogeneity, and a single-phase α-Fe2O3 composition, whereas FeM-2 showed a bimodal pore size distribution and a dual-phase composition of α-Fe2O3 and ɣ-Fe2O3. Magnetic characterization indicated enhanced magnetization in FeM-2 due to the ferrimagnetic nature of ɣ-Fe2O3, while FeM-1 displayed lower magnetization consistent with the weak ferromagnetic behavior of α-Fe2O3. The combination of structural and magnetic analyses demonstrated the critical role of precursor selection in tuning the material properties for potential applications in catalysis and magnetic devices.2025http://zaguan.unizar.es/record/16184110.1016/j.jmmm.2025.173288http://zaguan.unizar.es/record/161841oai:zaguan.unizar.es:161841info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/EC/H2020/101007629 /EU/Nanomaterials for Enzymatic Control of Oxidative Stress Toxicity and Free Radical Generation/NESTORThis project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under grant agreement No H2020 101007629 -NESTORJournal of Magnetism and Magnetic Materials 629 (2025), 173288All rights reservedhttp://www.europeana.eu/rights/rr-f/info:eu-repo/semantics/closedAccess