Anisotropic growth of magnetite (Fe₃O₄) nanoparticles is achieved in a hydrothermal growth process using hexamine to play a dual role of oxide forming and directing agent. The samples are characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, high resolution transmission electron microscopy, squid magnetometry, ferromagnetic resonance technique, diffuse reflectance spectroscopy and Mössbauer spectroscopy, which collectively establish the formation of Fe₃O₄ phase. Anisotropic structures such as nanorods and nanotubules are revealed and these are shown to exhibit good humidity sensing properties.

Atom Probe Tomography (APT), Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), and 3D mechanical calculations in complex geometry and anisotropic strain fields were employed to study the role of minor elements in the precipitation process of silicon and chromium nitrides in nitrided Fe–Si and Fe–Cr alloys, respectively. In nitrided Fe–Si alloys, an original sequence of Si₃N₄ precipitation was highlighted. Al–N clusters form first and act as nucleation sites for amorphous Si₃N₄ nitrides. This novel example of particle-simulated nucleation opens a new way to control Si₃N₄ precipitation in Fe–Si alloys. In nitrided Fe–Cr alloys, both the presence of iron in chromium nitrides and excess nitrogen in the ferritic matrix are unquestionably proved. Only a certain part of the so-called excess nitrogen is shown to be explained by the elastic accommodation of the misfit between nitride and the ferritic matrix. The presence of immobile excess nitrogen trapped at interfaces can be highly suspected.