Magnetic anisotropy and domain patterns in electrodeposited cobalt nanowires

The magnetic anisotropy and domain structure of electrodeposited cylindrical Co nanowires with length of 10 or 20 μm and diameters ranging from 30 to 450 nm are studied by means of magnetization and magnetic torque measurements, as well as magnetic force microscopy. Experimental results reveal that crystal anisotropy either concurs with shape anisotropy in maintaining the Co magnetization aligned along the wire or favours an orientation of the magnetization perpendicular to the wire, hence competing with shape anisotropy, depending on whether the diameter of the wires is smaller or larger than a critical diameter of 50 nm. This change of crystal anisotropy, originating in changes in the crystallographic structure of Co, is naturally found to strongly modify the zero (or small) field magnetic domain structure in the nanowires. Except for nanowires with parallel-to-wire crystal anisotropy (very small diameters) where single-domain behaviour may occur, the formation of magnetic domains is required to explain the experimental observations. The geometrical restriction imposed on the magnetization by the small lateral size of the wires proves to play an important role in the domain structures formed. Received 14 September 2000     

Cylindrical magnetization model for glass-coated microwires with circular anisotropy: Statics

The static magnetization profile of glass-coated microwires with effective circular anisotropy is investigated using micromagnetics. In this family of microwires, the ferromagnetic nucleus with an amorphous character presents a magnetic structure composed of an inner region with axial domains and an outer region with circular domains, due to magnetoelastic anisotropy. A one-dimensional micromagnetic model is developed, taking into account both the exchange and magnetoelastic anisotropy energies, and solved quasi analytically. The total energy, magnetization profiles and magnetization curves are investigated as a function of radius and anisotropy constant of the nucleus. This work represents a fundamental study of the magnetization process in these amorphous microwires and provides guidelines for the production of microwires with tailored magnetic properties. En passant, the nucleation problem in an infinite cylinder, introduced by W.F. Brown, is revisited.     

非晶丝端部磁场效应的模拟

实验表明,不同长度的非晶丝以及非晶丝端部不同的位置都具有不同的磁特性.为了研究这种端部磁场效应,基于磁荷分布的假设,采用数值计算方法获得了非晶丝端部的磁场分布.然后,基于数值计算结果,采用拟合方法获得非晶丝内部磁场分布的一般性计算形式.由于非晶丝内部磁场强度不可能超出外磁场强度,提出由中间的均匀磁区以及两端的入磁区和出磁区所构成的非晶丝三磁区模型,并由此获得端部磁场效应的临界长度计算公式.该理论模型对端部磁场效应的模拟计算结果与已有实验现象能够符合很好.     

The Analysis of Large Barkhausen Effect in the FeSiB Amorphous Wire

Amorphous FeSiB wires with positive magnetostriction are very perspective soft magnetic materials for many applications, e.g. torque, field or current sensors, pulse generators and highly sensitive magnetometers. The appearance of the Large Barkhausen Effect (LBE) during slow magnetization of FeSiB wires is described by means of the core-shell model assuming a residual radial tensile stresses in the as-cast state. In this work, the LBE during magnetization reversal of Fe_77.5Si_7.5B₁₅ amorphous wire in the as-cast state was analysed. We have studied the kinetics of the reverse domain in the core region of the wire by means of Sixtus-Tonks method of two small pick-up coils placed in an asymmetric way with respect to the ends of the wire. We estimated the velocity of the reverse domain wall and the core region volume of the wire. It was found that the residual radial tensile stress distribution of the shell region strongly influences the magnetization reversal in the FeSiB wire.     

Biased magnetization reversal in bi-phase multilayer microwires

We report on the magnetic behaviour of a novel family of two-magnetic-phase multilayer microwires consisting of: (i) a bistable FeSiB glass-coated amorphous microwire as soft nucleus, and (ii) a polycrystalline CoNi outer microtube as harder layer. Such bi-phase microwires are prepared by combined quenching and drawing plus sputtering and electroplating techniques. The stray field produced by the harder outer layer after premagnetizing it to saturation is used to bias the magnetization reversal process of the soft nucleus via dipolar magnetostatic coupling. A detailed analysis of the asymmetric low-field magnetization reversal process of the soft nucleus is presented together with the study of the fluctuating switching field and its asymmetric behaviour. The study of the domain wall characteristics under the presence of a nucleation coil at one end of the microwire allows us to draw conclusions on the role of the bias field generated by the premagnetized hard outer layer.     

铁基非晶丝样低频涡流损耗分析

以非晶丝的芯-壳(core-shell)结构模型为基础,对铁基非晶丝考虑其芯内存在一沿轴向的应力磁各向异性K_c, 而壳内是沿径向的应力磁各向异性K_s(K_c和K_s均为应力能常量λ_sσ₀的函数),导出了样品的交流环向磁导率μ_φ(r).由Maxwell方程和Ohm定律计算出此模型下的低频经典涡流损耗反常因子为η＝2．2.理论值与实验结果的比较表明,铁基非晶丝的 关键词： 非晶丝 芯壳结构 涡流损耗反常因子     

非均匀弱直流偏置磁场中CoFe-基非晶态合金丝的静磁化分布和退磁场分布

当前从事非晶态合金丝巨磁阻抗效应的理论研究均以忽略其内部退磁场为前提,该前提对于小尺寸非晶态合金丝不适用.本文提出一种用于计算Co Fe-基非晶态合金丝内部静磁化强度、退磁场分布的模型.该模型将非晶态合金丝内部划分成同轴、等宽、等厚、半径不同的相邻无交圆环,计算各圆环内磁化强度对场点r处退磁场冲激响应,得到冲激响应矩阵.利用该矩阵求解均匀/非均匀直流偏置磁场中非晶态合金丝内静磁化强度、退磁场分布.     

Model of magnetization in thin magnetic films with one domain and two-domain basic structures

The magnetization processes in thin magnetic films are described by a model analysing the behaviour of one domain and two-domain basic structures (BS) in the applied magnetic field. These structures include the film areas with nearly constant crystal and magnetic parameters. The minimum of BS free energy including the energy in the internal magnetic field, the energy of the induced anisotropy and the domain-wall energy are taken into account. The initial and hysteresis curves of the sample depend on the function of distribution for the BSs are calculated. A good qualitative agreement with the results of other authors is observed if the films consists of one-domain or two-domain BS only. Our experimental data give also some support of the model.     

Size and thickness effect on magnetic structures of maghemite hollow magnetic nanoparticles

The effect of surface anisotropy on the magnetic ground state of hollow maghemite nanoparticles is investigated using atomistic Monte Carlo simulation. The computer modeling is carried on hollow nanostructures as a function of size and shell thickness. It is found that the large contribution of the surface anisotropy imposes a “throttled” spin structure where the moments located at the outer surface tend to orient normal to the surface while those located at the inner surface appear to be more aligned. For increasing values of surface anisotropy in the frame of a radial model, the magnetic moments become radially oriented either inward or outward giving rise to a “hedgehog” configuration with nearly zero net magnetization. We also show the effect of the size of hollow nanoparticle on the spin behavior where the spin non-collinearity increases (for fixed value of surface anisotropy) as the diameter of the hollow nanoparticle increases due to the significant increase in surface-to-volume ratio, the thickness being constant. Moreover, the thickness of the hollow nanoparticle shell influences the spin configuration and thus the relation between surface anisotropy and the size or the thickness of the hollow nanoparticle is established.     

Magnetooptical investigation of the micromagnetic structure and magnetization processes in Co69Fe4Si12B15 amorphous microwires

Magnetooptical investigation of the micromagnetic structure of Co₆₉Fe₄Si₁₂B₁₅ amorphous microwires 10–50 μm in diameter is carried out. The existence of domains with transverse circumferential magnetization is experimentally demonstrated in the near-surface region of microwires. The dependence of the width of circular domains on the length and diameter of wires is obtained. It is shown that the near-surface micromagnetic structure of amorphous wires is changed under a stretch-induced stress. It is proved that the magnetization reversal of microwires in a longitudinal magnetic field occurs due to the rotation of local magnetization vectors in circular domains.     

Magnetotransport measurements as a tool to probe the micromagnetic configurations in epitaxial Co wires

The micromagnetic structure in epitaxial Co wires is investigated by using the magnetoresistance effect associated with the domain wall formation. This provides an efficient tool to monitor the magnetization reversal in systems with reduced lateral size. The influence of the lateral size and of the magnetic history on the micromagnetic configuration of the wires is considered.     

Study of domain structure and magnetization reversal after thermal treatments in Fe40Co38Mo4B18 microwires

We have studied the effect of thermal treatment on the magnetic domain structure and magnetic reversal process of amorphous and nanocrystalline Fe₄₀Co₃₈Mo₄B₁₈ microwires. The domain structure and the magnetization reversal of amorphous FeCoMoB microwires reflect the complex stress distribution introduced by the glass coating. Hence, the thickness of radial domain structure decreases with temperature and the temperature dependence of the switching field presents a discontinuous behavior. After nanocrystallization, the domain structure of FeCoMoB microwire is almost constant within the temperature range 10-400 K and the switching field decreases almost linearly with temperature mostly because of the decrease of saturation magnetization.     

An analysis of interacting bistable magnetic microwires: from ordered to chaotic behaviours

Fe-based magnetostrictive amorphous wires are bistable exhibiting square-shaped longitudinal hysteresis loops. This is a consequence of their particular domain structure that allows them to be approached as magnetic dipoles. Arrays of such bistables wires are accordingly shown to be coupled by magnetostatic interactions. Furthermore, an analysis of these interactions allows us to conclude that depending on the relative strength of the magnetostatic and Zeeman interactions, ordered, complex or chaotic behaviours are found in the temporal variation of the array magnetisation.     

Preparation,structural and magnetic characterization of synthetic anti-ferromagnetic (SAF) nanoparticles

Synthetic anti-ferromagnetic nanoparticles (SAFs) are a novel type of magnetic nanoparticle (MNP) fabricated using nanoimprint lithography, direct deposition of multilayer films and retrieval in liquid phase via an ‘etching’ release process. Such physical fabrication techniques enable accurate control of particle shape, size and composition. We systematically varied the processing conditions to produce different configurations of SAF nanoparticles and performed extensive characterization using transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and alternating gradient magnetometry (AGM) to study their corresponding structural and magnetic behavior. A key focus of this paper is the preparation of TEM cross-section specimens of SAF nanoparticles for their structural characterization. This is not a trivial task, but is useful and revealing in terms of structural features. A major finding from our study shows that the introduction of oxygen during deposition of the copper release layer gives significantly improved flatness of the multilayer structure but no significant change in the magnetic properties. Magnetic measurements show that these nanoparticles have nearly zero magnetic remanence, a linear response of magnetization and more than twice the saturation magnetization compared to iron oxide nanoparticles.     

强磁场下Sm-Fe薄膜不同晶态组织演化及磁性能调控

针对Sm-Fe薄膜的不同晶态组织演化和磁性能调控问题,采用分子束气相沉积方法制备Sm-Fe薄膜时,通过改变Sm含量、膜厚和强磁场来调节薄膜的晶态和磁性能.结果表明,Sm含量可以调节Sm-Fe薄膜的晶态组织演化,而晶态组织的演化和强磁场对磁性能有显著影响.Sm-Fe薄膜在Sm原子比为5.8%时是体心立方晶态组织,在Sm含量为33.0%时为非晶态组织,而膜厚和强磁场不会影响薄膜的晶态组织.非晶态薄膜的表面粗糙度和表面颗粒尺寸都比晶态薄膜的小,施加6 T强磁场会使表面颗粒尺寸增大,而表面粗糙度降低.非晶态薄膜的饱和磁化强度M_s比晶态薄膜的M_s(1466 emu/cm~3,1 emu/cm~3=4π×10-10T)低约47.6%,施加6 T强磁场使非晶态和晶态薄膜的M_s均降低约50%.Sm-Fe薄膜的矫顽力H_c在6—130 Oe(1 Oe=103/(4π)A/m)之间,其中,非晶态薄膜的H_c比晶态薄膜的H_c大.施加6 T强磁场使晶态薄膜的H_c增大,而使非晶态薄膜的H_c减小,最高可以减少95%.结果表明含量和强磁场可以用于调控Sm-Fe薄膜的晶态和磁性能.     

Chemical synthesis of self-assembled Ni nanoparticles and understanding of nonmagnetic layer inside their surface

To chemically synthesize mono-dispersed and self-assembled Ni nanoparticles, it was important to find the best combination of a Ni precursor and a ligand. Our Ni nanoparticles exhibited a face-centered cubic structure and superparamagnetism at room temperature. The value of saturation magnetization for our Ni nanoparticles was largely different from that of bulk Ni. Because of the relationship between the diameter and saturation magnetization per volume, the number of atoms composing the Ni nanoparticle was correlated with magnetization. This result indicated that a magnetic core/shell structure inside a Ni nanoparticle was produced. The nonmagnetic layer, as a magnetic shell of the core/shell structure, was created due to the low crystallinity of Ni nanoparticles and was composed of amorphous Ni‒O states. As a result, antiferromagnetic spins arrayed in the Ni‒O states were broken. Disordered spins were generated, which eventually decreased the total magnetization of the Ni nanoparticles.     

Evaluation of helical magnetoelastic anisotropy in Fe-based amorphous wire from the decomposed susceptibility spectra

A novel method is introduced here to evaluate the intrinsic magnetic anisotropy from susceptibility spectra. The combination of two techniques namely, the decomposition of susceptibility spectra together with its dependence on applied torsion is employed to determine quantitatively the intrinsic helical anisotropy in an amorphous wire. The susceptibility spectra of Fe_77.5Si_7.5B₁₅ amorphous wires have been experimentally measured as a function of torsion. The reversible susceptibility is ascribed to wall motion of axial domains within the core, and to magnetization rotation within radial domains in the shell. The relaxation frequencies of these magnetization processes are evaluated to be 0.36 and 1.82 MHz, respectively. The static rotational susceptibility shows an asymmetric behavior with regards to positive and negative torsion angles, and is maximum at the torsion angle of 30°, which counterbalances the internal stress. Present results indicate the existence of an intrinsic helical anisotropy corresponding to an average helical stress of 33 MPa.     

Nuclear magnetic resonance study of ultrananocrystalline diamonds

We report on a nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) study of ultrananocrystalline diamond (UNCD) materials produced by detonation technique. Analysis of the ¹³C and ¹H NMR spectra, spin-spin and spin-lattice relaxation times in purified UNCD samples is presented. Our measurements show that UNCD particles consist of a diamond core that is partially covered by a sp ²-carbon fullerene-like shell. The uncovered part of outer diamond surface comprises a number of hydrocarbon groups that saturate the dangling bonds. Our findings are discussed along with recent calculations of the UNCD structure. Significant increase in the spin-lattice relaxation rate (in comparison with that of natural diamond), as well as stretched exponential character of the magnetization recovery, are attributed to the interaction of nuclear spins with paramagnetic centers which are likely fabrication-driven dangling bonds with unpaired electrons. We show that these centers are located mainly at the interface between the diamond core and shell.     

Micromagnetic study of magnetic domain structure and magnetization reversal in amorphous wires with circular anisotropy

In this work we present a detailed numerical investigation on the magnetic domain formation and magnetization reversal mechanism in sub-millimeter amorphous wires with negative magnetostriction by means of micromagnetic calculations. The formation of circular magnetic domains surrounding a multidomain axially oriented central nucleus was observed for the micromagnetic model representing the amorphous wire. The magnetization reversal explained by micromagnetic computations for the M-H curve is described in terms of a combined nucleation-propagation−rotational mechanism after the saturated state. Results are interpreted in terms of the effective magnetic anisotropy.     

Amorphous-crystalline dual-layer structures resulting from metastable liquid phase separation in(Fe₅₀Co₂₅B₁₅Si₁₀)₈₀Cu₂₀ melt-spun ribbons

(Fe50Co25B15Si10)80Cu20 ribbons are prepared by using the single-roller melt-spinning method.A dual-layer structure consisting of a(Fe,Co)-rich amorphous phase and a Cu-rich crystalline phase forms due to metastable liquid phase separation before solidification.The magnetic hysteresis loops of the as-quenched and annealed samples are measured at room temperature.It is indicated that the coercivity of the ribbon is almost zero in the as-quenched state.The crystallization leads to the increase of coercivity and decrease of saturation magnetization.