Magnetic behavior of a nano-disk constrained in an antiferromagnetic substrate

In this work we report a numerical Monte Carlo study of the behavior of a magnetic nano-disk put over an antiferromagnetic substrate. Three approaches were considered for describe the substrate: (1) A stacked antiferromagnetic configuration, (2) an Ising like arrangement and (3) Heisenberg like spins. For the Heisenberg case we still have considered an easy-plane and an easy-axis symmetry of the substrate. The hysteresis loop for the nano-disk is obtained by considering the three cases. The signature of the vortex in the nano-disk appears as small jumps in the hysteresis curve. Exchange bias effects are observed since the substrate has an easy axis symmetry.     

Effect of dipolar and exchange interactions on magnetic blocking of maghemite nanoparticles

Magnetic interparticle interactions compete with the magnetic blocking of ultrafine magnetic nanoparticles. We have prepared maghemite (γ-Fe₂O₃) nanoparticles by microwave plasma synthesis as a loose powder and in compacted form. In ZFC/FC measurements, blocking temperature of the compacted sample C is larger than that of the powder sample P. The frequency dependence of AC susceptibility of the sample C shows a large shift of blocking temperature with increasing frequency. Vogel-Fulcher law gives a large value of T₀ for the sample C. To get evidence of a possible spin-glass freezing in both samples, scaling law fitting is applied to the AC susceptibility data. The value of the exponent (zv) of the critical slowing down dynamics fits to the spin-glass regime for both samples. For the sample P, spin-glass freezing occurs on the surface of individual nanoparticles, while in the sample C surface spin-glass freezing is concomitant with a superspin-glass formation as a consequence of coupling between particles. The sample C also shows an enhancement of coercivity due to dipolar interactions among the nanoparticles. Exchange interactions are attributed only to touching nanoparticles across their interfaces. All these measurements indicate the presence of strong interparticle dipolar interactions in the compacted sample C.     

The role of dipolar interactions for the magnetic properties of ferromagnetic nanoring

We investigate numerically the effects of the dipolar interactions on magnetic properties in small ferromagnetic nanorings using a Monte Carlo technique. Our simulated results show that the strength of dipolar interaction in the magnetic nanoring has an important influence on the magnetization reversal processes and further the coercivity and the remanence. As the dipolar interaction increases, the transition of magnetization reversal processes from the onion-rotation state to the vortex state can occur, which results in an increase in coercivity and a decrease in remanence. On the other hand, it is found that the coercivity and the remanence depend more strongly on the strength of dipolar coupling for the relatively small size nanoring than for the large size nanoring in width. This can be attributed to the stable vortex state without core in smaller width nanoring in contrast to the metastable vortex state with core in larger width nanoring, induced by strong dipolar interactions. Additionally, the temperature dependence of coercivity and remanence in magnetic nanoring is also studied at a fixed dipolar interaction.     

Structural and magnetic properties of holmium substituted cobalt ferrites synthesized by chemical co-precipitation method

CoHo_xFe_2−xO₄ ferrites (x=0.00–0.1) were prepared by the co-precipitation technique and the effect of holmium substitution on the magnetic properties was investigated. X-ray diffraction reveals that the substituted samples show a second phase of HoFeO₃ along with the spinel phase. The magnetic properties such as the saturation magnetization (M_s), coercivity (H_c) and remanence (M_r) are obtained from the hysteresis loops. It is observed that the M_s decreases while H_c increases with Ho³⁺ substitution. The decrease of saturation magnetization is attributed to the weakening of exchange interactions. The coercivity increases with increase of the Ho³⁺ concentration, which is attributed to the presence of an ultra-thin layer at the grain boundaries that impedes the domain wall motion. Low field AC susceptibility was also measured over the temperature range 300–600 K at the frequency of 200 Hz. It decreases with the increase of temperature following the Curie–Weiss law up to the Curie temperature. Above the Curie temperature it shows paramagnetic behavior. The increase in coercivity suggests that the material can be used for applications in perpendicular recording media.     

Tailoring the magnetic properties of Fe asymmetric nanodots

Asymmetric dots as a function of their geometry have been investigated using three-dimensional (3D) object oriented micromagnetic framework (OOMMF) code. The effect of shape asymmetry of the disk on coercivity and remanence is studied. Angular dependence of the remanence and coercivity is also addressed. Asymmetric dots are found to reverse their magnetization by nucleation and propagation of a vortex, when the field is applied parallel to the direction of asymmetry. However, complex reversal modes appear when the angle at which the external field is applied is varied, leading to a non-monotonic behavior of the coercivity and remanence.     

Magnetic properties for the Mn2GeTe4 compound

Measurements of magnetic susceptibility χ, in the temperature range from 2 to 300 K, and of magnetization M vs. applied magnetic field B, up to 5 T, at various temperatures were made on polycrystalline samples of the Mn₂GeTe₄ compound. It was found that Mn₂GeTe₄ has a Néel temperature T_N of about 135 K, shows mainly antiferromagnetic behavior with a very weak superimposed ferromagnetic component that is attributed to spin canting. Also, the magnetic results suggest that a possible spin-glass transition takes place at T_f≈45 K. The spin-glass order parameter q(T), determined from the susceptibility data, was found to be in agreement with the prediction of conventional spin-glass theory. The M vs. B results indicated that bound magnetic polarons (BMPs) occur in the compound, and that the effects from BMPs disappear at approximately 80 K. The M vs. B curves were well fitted by a Langevin type of equation, and the variation of the fitting parameters determined as a function of temperature. Using a simple spherical model, the radius of the BMP in the material was found to be about 27 Å; this value is similar to the effective Bohr radius for an acceptor in the II-IV-V₂ and I-III-VI₂ ternary semiconductor compounds.     

Reorientation phase transitions in planar arrays of dipolarly interacting ferromagnetic particles

Reorientation phase transitions (RPT) taking place in regular arrays of rectangular submicron-size ferromagnetic particles due to the competition between the external magnetic field of arbitrary direction and internal dipolar fields are analysed in this article. Dipolar interaction between particles is taken into account via real-space calculations of magnetometric demagnetizing factors. Long stripe arrays are also under consideration. I find that the direction of the external magnetic field determines the kind of the phase transition, while the dipolar interaction between particles can significantly change the values of RPT critical field. Calculations were presented for a set of submicron particles/stripe arrays, which were under experimental investigations recently.     

Composition and magnetic properties of cobalt ferrite nano-particles prepared by the co-precipitation method

Cobalt ferrite nano-particles were prepared using the co-precipitation method followed by annealing treatment. The formation of nano-particles with different composition, microstructure and sizes were confirmed by X-ray diffraction, Raman, thermogravimetric-differential thermal analysis and transmission electron microscope. The magnetic hysteresis loops measured at room temperature revealed smaller effective magnetic anisotropy constant, coercivity and remanence ratio for the samples prepared by adding the NaOH solutions into the mixed solutions of Co²⁺ and Fe³⁺ ions due to the formation of Co³⁺ ions. A small saturation magnetization and an enhanced coercivity were observed for the nano-particles prepared by adding the mixed solutions of Co²⁺ and Fe³⁺ ions into the NaOH solutions, which was related to the formation of outer layers with poor crystallization on the surfaces of the cobalt ferrite nano-crystals. Furthermore, the existence of these outer layers induced the oxidation of Co²⁺ ions in cobalt ferrite nano-crystals at 200 and 300 °C, and led to a large change on the composition and magnetic properties.     

Magnetic properties of soft magnetic composites prepared with crystalline and amorphous powders

Physical properties of soft magnetic composites prepared with a mixture of amorphous (FeSiBC) and crystalline (Fe) powders coated with distinct electrical insulator contents are reported. Density, saturation polarization, permeability and coercivity of the cores reduce linearly with the increase of the softer magnetic phase amount and a general relation can be expressed by a rule of mixtures. The behavior of the coercivity, as a function of the magnetic phase content, differs from that previously reported for magnetic composites prepared with equal amounts of magnetic and non-magnetic phases. For frequencies upto 1 kHz the magnetic losses of the cores are constant, following the same behavior of the coercivity. A qualitative explanation of the behavior of the latter is addressed based on an expression applicable for crystalline and amorphous materials.     

Magnetic and structural properties of iron phosphate-phenolic soft magnetic composites

This work focuses on the effect of phosphate modification on the magnetic and surface properties of iron-phenolic soft magnetic composite materials. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectra, EDX analysis, distribution maps, X-ray diffraction pattern and density measurements show that the particles surface layer contains a thin layer of nanocrystalline/amorphous phosphate with high coverage of powders surface. Magnetic measurements show that phosphating treatment decreases the loss factor, imaginary part of permeability, increases the electrical resistivity and operating frequencies by decreasing the effective particle size. The operating frequency increases from 200 kHz for uncoated-powders samples to 1 MHz for phosphated-powders samples at optimum concentration. Phosphated iron powders that are covered by 0.7 wt% of phenolic resin exhibits lower magnetic loss and higher frequency stability. The minimum loss factor and maximum permeability at each frequency can be obtained for 0.01 g/ml orthophosphoric acid concentration in comparison with other concentrations including 0.005 and 0.04 g/ml.     

Magnetic transitions and thermomagnetic properties of GdCu6

We report results of dc magnetization and specific heat studies focusing on the paramagnetic to antiferromagnetic transition in GdCu₆. These results clearly reveal the evidences of multiple magnetic transitions in GdCu₆. In addition, a marked thermomagnetic irreversibility is observed in the temperature dependence of magnetization in low applied magnetic fields. Nature of the magnetic response changes with the increase in applied magnetic field in the temperature regime around the paramagnetic-antiferromagnetic transition temperature and also well inside the antiferromagnetic state. Experimentally measured specific heat in GdCu₆ is quite large in the temperature regime below 20 K, which indicates to the potential of GdCu₆ as a magnetic regenerator material for cryocooler related applications. Isothermal magnetic entropy change estimated from the results of magnetization and specific heat measurements shows a change in sign at the antiferromagnetic ordering temperature.     

Magnetostatics of synthetic ferrimagnet elements

We calculate the magnetostatic energy of synthetic ferrimagnet (SyF) elements, consisting of two thin ferromagnetic layers coupled antiferromagnetically, e.g. through RKKY coupling. Uniform magnetization is assumed in each layer. Exact formulas as well as approximate yet accurate ones are provided. These may be used to evaluate various quantities of SyF such as shape-induced coercivity and thermal stability, like demagnetizing coefficients are used in single elements.     

Magnetic and optical properties of Gd-Tl substituted M-type barium hexaferrites synthesized by co-precipitation technique

The substitution of numerous cations into hexagonal ferrite has been extensively used to endow novel properties and functionalities for various applications. In the present work Gd-Tl substituted barium hexaferrites prepared by co-precipitation process, having the composition Ba_0.75Cu_0.25(Gd_xTl_0.5-x)Fe_11.5O₁₉ (x = 0.0, 0.25 and 0.50). The hexaferrite formation during calcination of sample x = 0.25 was confirmed by TGA/DSC which was processed at 1000 °C for 3 h. The analysis of X-ray diffraction depicts the existence of magneto-plumbite structure with the formation of a minor secondary α–Fe₂O₃ phase x ≤ 0.0 and BaFe₂O₄ phase x ≤ 0.50. UV–Vis spectra reveal the dropping down behavior in the optical energy band gap from 2.47 eV to 1.74 eV. The grains with hexagonal platelet-like shape having size of 0.415–0.446 μm of magnetic powder nanoparticles (MPs) are observed by SEM images. The energy dispersive spectrometer (EDS) analysis was employed for presence of ferrite elements within a single particle. Hysteresis loops signifies the magnetization (M_s) and remnant magnetization (M_r) first increases up to x = 0.25 then reduces with the substitution (x) increment; contrarily, the coercivity (H_c) exhibited initially decreased with maximum content of Tl at x = 0.0 then increases at x = 0.25 after that it decreases at x = 0.50. Maximum values such as M_s (51.727 emu/g), M_r (28.061 emu/g), and H_c (4.057 kOe) are attained for x = 0.25 at room temperature. The synthesized magnetic nanoparticles are found to be suitable for microwave absorbing materials, permanent magnets, catalyst, high density recording media and optoelectronic devices.     

Magnetic moment of phonons in graphene induced by a magnetic field

A magnetic field not only changes the electronic structure in graphene but also affects the phonon excitations via the electron-phonon interaction and even enables the phonons to generate magnetism. In this paper, we evaluate the magnetic moment of phonons in graphene using a generating-functional technique. The calculation results indicate that the phonon magnetic moment exists only in a weak magnetic field. The step-like change of the magnetic moment with the magnetic field reflects a macroscopic quantum effect.     

Magnetic material arrangement in oriented termites: a magnetic resonance study

Temperature dependence of the magnetic resonance is used to study the magnetic material in oriented Neocapritermes opacus (N.o.) termite, the only prey of the migratory ant Pachycondyla marginata (P.m.). A broad line in the g=2 region, associated to isolated nanoparticles shows that at least 97% of the magnetic material is in the termite’s body (abdomen + thorax). From the temperature dependence of the resonant field and from the spectral linewidths, we estimate the existence of magnetic nanoparticles 18.5 ± 0.3 nm in diameter and an effective magnetic anisotropy constant, K_eff between 2.1 and 3.2 × 10⁴ erg/cm³. A sudden change in the double integrated spectra at about 100 K for N.o. with the long body axis oriented perpendicular to the magnetic field can be attributed to the Verwey transition, and suggests an organized film-like particle system.     

From dipolar interactions of a random distribution of ferromagnetic particles to magnetostriction

The magnetostriction of a soft matrix, nonmagnetic, randomly filled by ferromagnetic particles is measured and calculated. Dipolar forces between particles have been calculated using a simple model of particles with the same permanent magnetic moment. Forces are injected in an FEM software to evaluate the strain of the composite. The longitudinal strain calculated for a cylinder-shape distribution is positive. A sample with the same shape has been prepared and shows the same strain.     

Magnetic properties of doped ZnO prepared by different synthetic routes

We have studied the magnetic properties of Zn_0.96M_0.04O (M=Mn, Fe, Co) compounds prepared using several routes. The low temperature ceramic synthesis gave multiphasic samples and show ferromagnetic behavior. Single phases can be obtained by heating at higher temperatures (∼900–1100 °C). The use of very low oxygen pressure also favours the preparation of single-phases. We were also successful in preparing single-phase samples at very low temperature (∼400 °C) by using a sol-gel method. All of the samples without noticeable secondary phases in the X-ray patterns behave as conventional paramagnets. This is true even for the samples with very low grain size. Samples exhibiting secondary phases reveal spontaneous magnetization even at room temperature in some cases. Our results strongly support that ferromagnetism at room temperature is always due to the presence of secondary phases and not to the doping of ZnO.     

The influence of magnetic impurities in the vortex core dynamics in magnetic nano-disks

In this work we have used spin dynamics simulations to study the gyrotropic frequency behavior in nano-disks of Permalloy with magnetic impurities. We consider the effect of attractive impurity and repulsive impurity placed near the vortex core gyrotropic trajectory. We observed that the gyrotropic frequency is affected by the presence of impurity. The gyrotropic frequency shift depends on the relative position between the impurity and the vortex core gyrotropic trajectory and if impurity is attractive or repulsive. Our results agree with the analytical model and with experimental behavior for the gyrotropic frequency shown in the literature.     

Magnetic properties of maghemite nanoparticle systems: surface anisotropy and interparticle interaction effects

The static and dynamic magnetic properties of powders of maghemite nanoparticles with average diameter D=2.7, 4.6 and 8.7 nm have been investigated by magnetisation, AC susceptibility at variable frequency (5<ν<10⁴ Hz) and Mössbauer spectroscopy measurements. The results provide an insight into the correlation between intra-particle and inter-particle effects.