Magnetic and electronic properties of Fe/Cu multilayered nanowires: A first-principles investigation

By using the first-principles calculations, we have systematically investigated the equilibrium structure, magnetic and electronic properties of one-dimensional Fe/Cu multilayered nanowires. We find that the stability of the Fe/Cu multilayered nanowires decreases with increasing concentration of nonmagnetic Cu layers, suggesting that rich Fe nanowires are more stable. Analysis of the average magnetic moment (μ_av) per Fe atom in the Fe/Cu multilayered nanowire suggests that there is a slight increase in μ_av with the increase in the number of nonmagnetic Cu layers, which was attributed to the increased Fe–Cu distance with increase in the Cu layers at interfacial layers. Furthermore, analysis of the band structures of these nanowires suggests strong dependence of conductance on the nonmagnetic Cu spacer layer thickness and a half-metallic character is observed for moderate Cu atoms substitutions, opening up the possibility for their application in magnetoelectronics or spintronics.     

Experimental determination technique for magnetic anisotropy of individual nanowires

We present an experimental technique to determine the magnetic anisotropy of ferromagnetic nanowires. In the technique, the magnetization state is monitored by measuring the anisotropic magnetoresistance with rotating the external magnetic field. The measured magnetoresistance curves exhibit basically the same curves typically appeared in the torque magnetometric measurements, which are then readily analyzed based on the Stoner–Wohlfarth theory with a single fitting parameter – the magnetic anisotropy. By applying the present technique to Permalloy nanowires, it is shown that the shape anisotropy in real nanowires is significantly influenced by the edge roughness.     

Free-standing and vertically aligned InP nanowires grown by metalorganic vapor phase epitaxy

Metalorganic vapor phase epitaxial technique has been used to grow surface mounted vertical and uniform cross-sectional InP nanowires on a wafer scale basis. The growth was carried out under the vapor–liquid–solid mechanism using Au colloidal nanoparticles of nominal diameters of 10 and 20 nm, and their properties were compared. The effect of the pre-growth anneals and growth temperatures on the stability of the nanowires were studied in detail. Scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopic studies showed average diameter of the nanowires in the range of 20–35 nm, and of length 700 nm with growth direction of 1 1 1. Room temperature photoluminescence measurements of the nanowires grown on 10 and 20 nm Au particles showed strong peaks, which were blue shifted by 25 and 32 meV, respectively, compared to bulk InP.     

Giant Magnetoresistance and Coercivity of electrodeposited multilayered FeCoNi/Cu and CrFeCoNi/Cu

The effect of Cr addition on electrodeposited multilayered nanowires CrFeCoNi/Cu was investigated from a magnetic property perspective: current perpendicular to the plane-Giant Magnetoresistance (CPP-GMR) and Coercivity (BH loops). The magnetic behavior of multilayered nanowires of CrFeNiCo/Cu was also affected by the alloy deposition potential, alloy pulsing time (layer thickness) and number of bilayers. Furthermore, the addition of Cr influenced both the nanowires GMR and Coercivity. Cr addition to the ferromagnetic FeCoNi layer induced a reduction in the room temperature GMR from 10.64% to 5.62%; however, the magnetic saturation field decreased from 0.45 to 0.27 T. The increase in the number of bilayers, from 1000 to 2500, resulted in a higher GMR value, 14.56% with 0.35 T magnetic saturation field. Addition of Cr to the ferromagnetic layer decreased the coercivity from 0.015 to 0.0054 T. Low saturation field CPP-GMR nanowires showing low coercivity at room temperature opens a new door for magnetic sensing devices. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study on electrodeposited CrFeCoNi/Cu multilayered nanowires.     

Silver nanowires

Free silver nanowires were produced in aqueous electrolyte by a novel chemical reaction. Their diameters are about 27 nm, the lengths range up to more than 70 μm, yielding extreme length to thickness-ratios up to 2500. Their structure was identified by TEM analysis (SAED) and HRTEM to consist of a lattice aligned bundle of five monocrystalline rods of triangular cross-section forming an almost regular pentagonal cross-section. It is demonstrated that, for application purposes, single free nanowires can be mounted between contact areas. This manipulation is enabled by observing the nanowires in real time at atmosphere by Zsigmondy-Siedentopf farfield darkfield microscopy. Experimental results are presented concerning electrical dc–conductivity and optical plasmon polariton excitation, the latter obtained from a single free wire without substrate and a single wire deposited on quartz glass. We also report about a present research cooperation with the Graz group of Aussenegg and Krenn which is devoted to investigate plasmon propagation in our Ag nanowires and to prove application possibilities as information guide fibers – in analogy to optical fibers – which may be integrated into micro- and nanoelectronic circuits.     

Fabrication and magnetic properties of FePt/Ag multilayered nanowires

FePt and FePt/Ag multilayered nanowires were fabricated by a pulse‐plating technique in nanoporous anodic alumina templates. The effect of Ag layers on the chemical ordering of FePt was investigated. It is found that the ordering rate of FePt is enhanced by introducing Ag layers in the FePt nanowire during post-deposition annealing. Measurements of the structure and magnetic properties of FePt 5 nm/Ag 1 nm multilayered nanowires reveal that the disorder-order transformation temperature of FePt is lowered to 350 °C. The possible reason for the enhancement in the ordering of FePt by introducing the Ag layers in the FePt nanowire is discussed.     

In situ scanning electron microscope electrical characterization of GaN nanowire nanodiodes using tungsten and tungsten/gallium nanoprobes

A lithography-free technique for measuring the electrical properties of n-type GaN nanowires has been investigated using nanoprobes mounted in a scanning electron microscope (SEM). Schottky contacts were made to the nanowires using tungsten nanoprobes, while gallium droplets placed in situ at the end of tungsten nanoprobes were found to be capable of providing Ohmic contacts to GaN nanowires. Schottky nanodiodes were fabricated based on single n-type nanowires, and measured current–voltage (I–V) results suggest that the Schottky nanodiodes deviate from ideal diodes mainly due to their nanoscopic contact area. Additionally, the effect of the SEM electron beam on the I–V characteristics was investigated and was found to impact the transport properties of the Schottky nanodiodes, possibly due to an increase in carrier density in the nanodiodes.     

Magnetic properties of single crystalline Zn1−xCoxO thin films

We report on the magnetic properties of single crystalline thin films of Zn_1−xCo_xO (x=0.003–0.14) grown by plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy. In order to understand the role of intermediate charge carriers in the magnetic properties of this material two types of films were fabricated, with and without Ga-codoping. Magnetic measurements were made between 2 and 300 K in fields up to 5 T with a Quantum Design SQUID magnetometer. We found that all the tested films exhibit paramagnetic behavior following the Curie–Weiss law, χ=C/(T−θ), with negative Curie–Weiss temperatures and that this behavior holds even under strong n-doping. We show that the magnetization data, M(H), in function of the Co content provide additional evidence in favor of the antiferromagnetic Co–Co interaction in this material. We also observe that these data exhibit an ‘easy plane’ magnetic anisotropy for all the studied Co concentrations. Finally, we develop a simple cluster model, in order to describe the magnetic properties of ZnCoO, which is found to be in good agreement with our experiments.     

Pyrolysis synthesis of magnetic - and -MnO2 nanostructures and the polymorph discrimination

The concentration of the Mn(NO₃)₂ solution has significant influence on the morphologies and the phases of the MnO₂ products. A large number of ε- MnO₂ nanowires were prepared via a simple pyrolysis under lower reaction concentration. The nanowires have lengths up to tens of micrometers and diameters in the range of 20–100 nm. The β- MnO₂ nanobundles and nanoflowers were prepared by increasing the concentration of Mn(NO₃)₂ solution. The superparamagnetism of ε- MnO₂ nanowires and paramagnetism of β- MnO₂ nanoflowers indicate their potential applications in magnetic materials.     

Magnetic iron oxide nanoclusters with tunable optical response

We have developed a modified synthetic protocol for the growth of monodispersed, superparamagnetic, flower-like colloidal nanoclusters (CNCs), which are consisted of smaller iron oxide nanocrystals with adjustable size. We show that their optical properties can be tuned by applying an external magnetic field. The latter controls the subtle balance of the CNCs’ mutual interactions (magnetic versus electrostatic) and drives their assembly in aqueous media. Spectrophotometric measurements reveal that a diffuse reflectance maximum, in the visible range, is related to the CNCs organization. As the strength of the external magnetic field increases, in the range 160–600 G, the spectral weight of this feature shifts towards the blue region of the spectrum. The induced photonic crystal-like response entails a remarkable magneto-optical behavior, closely associated with the size-dependent characteristics of the CNCs ensemble. Such materials pave the way for promising technological implementations in photonics.     

GMR in multilayered nanowires electrodeposited in track-etched polyester and polycarbonate membranes

Commercially available track-etched polyester membranes were used as templates to electrodeposit Co–Ni–Cu/Cu multilayered nanowires, giving room-temperature current perpendicular to plane (CPP) giant magnetoresistance (GMR) values of up to ∼12%. In contrast to similar nanowires electrodeposited in track-etched polycarbonate membranes, the GMR obtained in multilayered nanowires electrodeposited in the polyester membranes increased with decreasing Cu-layer thickness t_Cu, for t_Cu in the 2–7 nm range, indicating a lack of ferromagnetic coupling through pinholes, etc. Transmission electron micrographs showed clear evidence for smooth, parallel layer interfaces in the nanowires.     

Mathematical Theory of Non-Equilibrium Quantum Statistical Mechanics

We review and further develop a mathematical framework for non-equilibrium quantum statistical mechanics recently proposed in refs. 1–7. In the algebraic formalism of quantum statistical mechanics we introduce notions of non-equilibrium steady states, entropy production and heat fluxes, and study their properties. Our basic paradigm is a model of a small (finite) quantum system coupled to several independent thermal reservoirs. We exhibit examples of such systems which have strictly positive entropy production.     

Large-scale crystalline GaN nanowires synthesized through a chemical vapor deposition method

Large-scale, high-density gallium nitride nanowires were successfully synthesized by the direct reaction of gallium and ammonia using gold as initiator. The as-synthesized product was characterized by XRD, SEM, TEM, SAED, and EDS. The results showed that the product is hexagonal wurtzite GaN with high purity. The nanowires have diameters in the range of 60–100 nm and are a few tens of micrometers in length. A remarkable feature is that catalyst particles were observed at the ends of the nanowires, indicating that the growth process can be controlled by the vapor–liquid–solid mechanism. The present results revealed that gold is an effective and advantageous catalyst for the growth of GaN nanowires. PACS 81.05.Ea; 81.10.Bk; 68.65.-k     

Synthesis of βGa2O3 nanowires by an MOCVD approach

We have synthesized monoclinic gallium oxide (βGa₂O₃) nanowires on Au-coated Si substrates by a reaction of a trimethylgallium and oxygen mixture. The βGa₂O₃ nanowires became progressively thinner from bottom to top, with diameters ranging from 10 to 200 nm and lengths of several micrometers. We found that Au-containing nanoparticles were attached to the tips of the βGa₂O₃ nanowires and thus the nanowire growth could be a vapor–liquid–solid process .PACS 81.07.-b; 81.15.Gh     

Microstructural and magnetic properties of CoPt nanowires

In this work, the magnetic and microstructural properties of CoPt nanowires are presented as a function of the electrolyte pH and current density during electrodeposition into anodized alumina templates. CoPt nanowires of high aspect ratio have been prepared using electrolyte pH values in the range from 2 to 6. The as-made samples exhibit a face centered cubic (fcc) structure with soft magnetic properties which transform into the face centered tetragonal (fct) L10 phase after thermal treatment. Different pH values of the electrolyte during electrodeposition lead to significantly different microstructures and, therefore, different magnetic properties. The CoPt nanowires prepared at high pH value are composed of fcc nanorods of about 25 nm in length. Thermal annealing of these samples leads to a preferred (0 0 1) orientation (along the direction perpendicular to the direction of nanowires) which increases with annealing time. On the other hand, the CoPt nanowires prepared at lower pH value are composed of uniform fcc nanograins with the size ∼2−3 nm. Magnetization curves for the later sample are virtually identical in both directions indicating an isotropic behavior.     

Synthesis and characterization of PbS nanorods and nanowires

 A surfactant assisted solvotermal approach for the controllable synthesis of PbS nanowires and nanorods is applied. The synthesis is based on decomposition of lead thiocyanate in boiling benzyl alcohol with Cetyl trimethyl ammonium bromide used as a surfactant. Nanowires of PbS (about 2–3 μm with an average diameter of 30–50 nm) and nanorods (200–300 nm in length with an axial ratio of 4–5) were synthesised. The nanostructures were characterized by high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), selected area electron diffraction (SAED) and X-ray diffraction analysis. The experimental results indicate that the reaction duration and concentration of surfactant play key roles in determining the final morphologies of PbS blocks building and also in their crystallinity. A possible mechanism for creation of PbS nanowires and nanorods is discussed.     

Spin — lattice relaxation in chlorofluorocarbon liquids

We have used the spin — echo method to measure spin — lattice relaxation times in liquid chlorofluorocarbons over a wide range of temperatures, frequencies, and molecular weights. Analysis of the experimental data shows that to determine the kinetic parameters of viscous liquids it is necessary to use the theory of nuclear magnetic relaxation by translational diffusion. We describe a method for the computer calculation of these parameters and discuss the results.Translated from Izvestiya Vysshikh Uchebnykh Zavedenii, Fizika, No. 3, pp. 46–51, March, 1976.     

Nanoindentation of vertical ZnO nanowires

We report the experimental observations of buckling instabilities of vertical well-aligned single-crystal ZnO nanowires prepared on ZnO:Ga/glass templates. It was found that critical buckling load and buckling energy of the ZnO nanowires were 215 μN and 3.69×10⁻¹¹ J, respectively. It was also found that Young's modulus of the ZnO nanowires were 232 and 454 GPa while critical buckling strains were 0.35% and 0.18% when fixed–fixed column mode and fixed–pinned column mode were used, respectively.     

Characteristics of SiOx nanowires synthesized via the thermal heating of Cu-coated Si substrates

We have demonstrated the growth of SiO_x nanowires by the simple heating of the Cu-coated Si substrates. We have applied X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy techniques to characterize the structure of the samples. The as-synthesized SiO_x nanowires had amorphous structures with diameters in the range of 20–80 nm. The thickness of the Cu layer affected the resultant sample morphology, favoring the nanowire formation at smaller thickness. Photoluminescence spectra of the nanowires exhibited blue emission. We have proposed the possible growth mechanism.     

Electrical and magnetic properties of mercury selenide doped with nickel and chromium

The electrical properties of mercury selenide single-crystals doped with nickel and chromium are studied over the temperature range 80–400 K in magnetic fields of 0–8 kOe. It is established that in the mercury selenide lattice the impurity Ni is electrically and magnetically inactive. With growth in Cr concentration the paramagnetism of mercury selenide specimens increases. Results of a study of magnetic susceptibility are compared to theoretical calculations for a point model and a point model with consideration of covalence effects.Translated from Izvestiya Vysshikh Uchebnykh Zavedenii, Fizika, No. 11, pp. 44–47, November, 1990.