The magnetic properties of aligned M hexa-ferrite fibres

Aligned and random fibres of strontium hexaferrite (SrM, SrFe₁₂O₁₉) and barium hexaferrite (BaM, BaFe₁₂O₁₉) were manufactured by blow spinning from an aqueous inorganic sol–gel precursor, which was then fired to give the hexagonal ferrite fibre. Their magnetic properties were studied by VSM, investigating the evolution of these properties with firing and measurement temperature, and in particular the effects of fibre alignment. It has been predicted that aligned ferrite fibres will demonstrate an enhanced magnetisation along the axis of alignment with respect to perpendicular to the axis, and this has been demonstrated here for the first time. The optimum firing temperature was 1000 °C, at which point they still had submicron grains. In BaM random fibres M_s=63.8 emu g⁻¹ and H_c=428.1 kA m⁻¹, and in SrM random fibres M_s=63.3 emu g⁻¹ and H_c=452.8 kA m⁻¹, high values for polycrystalline materials. Fibres aligned parallel to the applied field had saturation magnetisation (M_s) values equal to those of the random fibres, whilst fibres aligned perpendicular to the field had M_s values 62% and 75% lower, for BaM and SrM, respectively. There was no change in coercivity (H_c) between random or aligned fibres of any orientation, and fibres aligned 45° and parallel to H appeared identical. Therefore, properties along the axis of alignment were superior when compared to measurements perpendicular to the axis of alignment, giving a directionality to the magnetisation in an otherwise randomly oriented ferrite material.     

Peculiarities of rf SQUID response in finite magnetic fields

Single-layer washer-type high-T_c YBa₂Cu₃O_7−x rf SQUIDs with grain-boundary Josephson junctions, as well as low-T_c Nb rf SQUIDs with Nb–Al₂O₃–Nb tunnel junctions, have been investigated in finite magnetic fields. It was shown experimentally that the suppression of the critical current of the Josephson junction due to the magnetic field leads to a modulation of the amplitude of the SQUID output signal. The role of the “unwanted” junction in high-T_c rf SQUIDs, which is formed by the grain boundary running through the washer of the SQUIDs on bicrystal substrates, has also been clarified. The drop of the SQUID signal at a finite magnetic field is originated by the penetration of the magnetic field into the unwanted junction. Based on these results, a direct radio-frequency method for the determination of the first critical field H_c1 for long Josephson junctions has been developed.     

Upper critical fields of ferromagnet/superconductor layered structures

The temperature dependence of the upper critical fields, both perpendicular H_c2 and parallel H_c2 to layer planes of ferromagnet/superconductor bi- and multilayers, is theoretically investigated. The secular equation of the superconducting order parameter for determining the phase diagram (H, T) is obtained by solving exactly the linearized Usadel equations in the multimode method taking into account the material parameter values. For the bilayers system, the influence of the boundary resistivity on the critical fields, and the dimensional crossover behavior of H_c2(T) are studied in details. For the multilayered structure, the effects of the π-phase state on both the superconducting transition temperature T_c and the upper critical fields (H_c2, and H_c2) are also considered. The nonmonotonic T_c behaviors are predicted. The interplay between 0- and π-phases leading to the strong oscillations of T_c as well as the temperature dependence of the zero temperature critical fields on the ferromagnetic layer thickness are investigated theoretically.     

BiFeO3/Ni81Fe19磁性双层膜中的交换偏置及其热稳定性研究

研究了磁场诱导生长的BiFeO₃/Ni₁₈Fe₁₉磁性双层膜中 的交换偏置及其热稳定性. 结果表明: BiFeO₃/Ni₁₈Fe₁₉双层膜中的交换偏置场H_ex未表现出明显的磁练习效应. 在负饱和磁场等待过程中, BiFeO₃/Ni₁₈Fe₁₉双层膜磁滞回线的前支和后支曲 线都随着在负饱和磁场中等待时间t_sat的增加向正场方向偏移. 交换偏置场H_ex的大小随着等待时间t_sat的增加而减小, 矫顽力H_c基本不变. 交换偏置场H_ex的大小随测量温度T_m的升高变化不明显, 表现出良好的热稳定性; 但矫顽力H_c随T_m的升高而显著减小. 良好的热稳定性应该来源于铁电性和反铁磁性间的共同耦合作用. 关键词： 多铁性 磁性薄膜 交换偏置 热稳定性     

Studies of anisotropy mechanisms in polyphosphate-treated magnetic iron oxide particles

The coercive force of small, acicular ( 2000 Å length, 8:1 length-to-diameter ratio) spinel-type iron oxide particles increases substantially following surface treatment with sodium polyphosphate. Regardless of Fe²⁺/Fe³⁺ cation ratio, H_c always attains a peak value when the polyphosphate/iron oxide weight ratio P/Fe is in the range 0.5–0.6, denoted (P/Fe)_max. The maximum change in H_c is observed when Fe²⁺/Fe³⁺ ≈ 0.10–0.15. When P/Fe0.5–0.6, however, both magnitude and sign of the change in coercive force show strong dependence on the Fe²⁺ content of the oxide, suggesting that the H_c changes are caused by a magnetostrictive mechanism at these high treatment ratios. Calculated anisotropy field distributions of treated specimens show that both the mean anisotropy field δH_kδ_G and predicted H_c reach a peak when particles are treated at (P/Fe)_max, where the distribution becomes very broad. At high treatment ratios both δH_kδ_G and predicted H_c decrease to values below that of the untreated oxide. Mössbauer studies of treated and untreated particles show no significant change in the environment of surface iron ions following treatement at P/FE = 0.5, but indicate a small increase in the Fe³⁺ concentration of the particle core. When P/Fe = 2.5, however, the Fe²⁺ concentration of the core increases markedly.     

Structure of some liquid alcohols, diols and triols: an analysis of dielectric data

This work is a continuation of our studies of the liquid structure of polyhydric alcohols and their solutions. Dielectric parameters (relaxation time, average cluster dipole moment μ¯_c, etc.) have been calculated for 1-hexanol in a wide temperature range in the framework of the cluster model proposed by Dissado and Hill; the values of apparent activation enthalpy ΔH_DHexp^≠ have been evaluated. These data were compared with the parameters previously determined by us for 2,5-hexanediol and 1,2,6-hexanetriol; the ratio μ¯_c/μ¯_v was used for an estimation of the number of molecules in clusters. It was found that at all temperatures in the range 303–393 K, the μ¯_c/μ¯_v values for 1-hexanol are significantly larger than the values of average degree of association p¯ calculated from equilibrium dielectric data; the ΔH_DHexp^≠ values for 1-hexanol are considerably lower than those for 2,5-hexanediol and 1,2,6-hexanetriol.     

Cu NMR study of the superconducting thiospinel Cu1.5Rh1.5S4

The ⁶³Cu NMR Knight shift K and spin-lattice relaxation rate 1/T₁ have been measured to study the thiospinel superconductor Cu_1.5Rh_1.5S₄ from a microscopic viewpoint. K is negative and has a weak dependence on temperature, and the hyperfine coupling constant H_hf^d is estimated to be −52.4 kOe/μ_B. 1/T₁ is proportional to the temperature in the normal state. In the superconducting state, 1/T₁ takes a coherence peak just below T_c, and decreases exponentially well below T_c, from whose temperature dependence the superconducting energy gap has been proved to be close to 2Δ = 3.52k_BT_c given by the BCS theory.     

Normal state magnetoresistance in stable magnetic fields up to 20 T in single crystalline La1.76Sr0.24CuO4

The in-plane normal state resistance R_n(T, H) in an overdoped La_2−xSr_xCuO₄ crystal (x = 0.24) has been measured in magnetic fields up to 20 T parallel to the c-axis. The R_n(T) curves in constant fields show a quadratic behavior in a wide range of temperature above T_c(H). Some characteristic features in R_n(H) are observed. In the low-field region R_n(H) increases with increasing H, reaches a maximum and then decreases with further increasing H. Possible origins for the observed unusual R_n(T, H) behavior are discussed.     

Magnetic evaluation of intergranular interactions in thin-film media by rotational hysteresis loss analysis

Magnetic torque analysis has been carried out for CoNiPt, CoCrTa/Cr and CoCrPt/Cr thin-film media. The magnetic field H^grain_k, where the rotational hysteresis loss vanishes, remained almost constant in each material, independent of the coercive force H_c. Only in the CoCrTa media no clear correlation between the rotational hysteresis integral and H_c was observed.     

Influence of the Tl- and Hg-content on magnetic and transport properties of the Pb, Sr-doped Tl-1223 and Hg-1223 superconductors

The effects of the thallium and mercury content x on the as-sintered and post annealed samples of M_xPb_0.4Sr_1.6Ba_0.4Ca₂Cu₃O_8+δ {M: Tl (0.32≤x≤0.74) or Hg (0.18≤x≤0.68)} have been studied by magnetization and transport measurements. For Tl-1223 we have found the optimum Tl doping level to be x=0.53 regarding the grain properties, the content of superconducting phase, the first penetration field H_pl^wl, the transport (J_c^tr), magnetic intergrain (J_c^M) and intragrain (J_c^g) critical current densities. The critical temperature T_c of the as-sintered Tl-1223 sample decreased with increasing Tl content. Post-annealing in oxygen improved the T_c for Tl contents of x≥0.53 and had generally positive effects on the critical current densities. The intergrain properties of the Hg-1223 samples were much worse than those of the Tl-based superconductors.     

Gate-controlled magnetic transitions in Fe_3GeTe_2 with lithium ion conducting glass substrate

Since the discovery of magnetism in two dimensions,effective manipulation of magnetism in van der Waals magnets has always been a crucial goal.Ionic gating is a promising method for such manipulation,yet devices gated with conventional ionic liquid may have some restrictions in applications due to the liquid nature of the gate dielectric.Lithium-ion conducting glass-ceramics(LICGC),a solid Li~+ electrolyte,could be used as a substrate while simultaneously acts as a promising substitute for ionic liquid.Here we demonstrate that the ferromagnetism of Fe_3 GeTe_2(FGT) could be modulated via LICGC.By applying a voltage between FGT and the back side of LICGC substrate,Li~+ doping occurs and causes the decrease of the coercive field(H_c) and ferromagnetic transition temperature(T_c) in FGT nanoflakes.A modulation efficiency for of up to ～ 24.6% under V_g=3.5 V at T=100 K is achieved.Our results provide another method to construct electrically-controlled magnetoelectronics,with potential applications in future information technology.     

Spin-polarized tunneling in nanostructured La2/3Sr1/3MnO3

We present magnetic and transport properties of nanocrystalline La_2/3Sr_1/3MnO₃ powders prepared by a gel-combustion method using citric acid as the fuel. The coercive magnetic field H_c is significantly different to the field H_c^* for which the magnetoresistance (MR) is maximum. The MR at low fields (LFMR) exhibits a power-law dependence with magnetization, MR∝Mⁿ, with n=2.5–3.3 for temperatures ranging from 5 to 200 K. The results are discussed in terms of a distribution of particle size in our sample.     

High critical current density YBa2Cu3O7−δ tapes prepared by the surface-oxidation epitaxy method

YBa₂Cu₃O_7−δ (YBCO) films with high critical current density (J_c) were successfully fabricated on nickel tapes buffered with epitaxial NiO. NiO was prepared on the textured nickel tape by the surface-oxidation epitaxy (SOE) method. We have reported so far a critical temperature (T_c) of 87 K and J_c=4–6×10⁴ A/cm² (77 K, 0 T) for the YBCO films on NiO/Ni tapes. To enhance the superconducting properties of the YBCO films on the SOE-grown NiO, depositions of thin oxide cap layers such as YSZ, CeO₂, and MgO on NiO were investigated. These oxide cap layers were epitaxially grown on NiO and provided the template for the epitaxial growth of YBCO films. Substantially improved data of T_c=88 K and J_c=3×10⁵ A/cm² (77 K, 0 T) and 1×10⁴ A/cm² (77 K, Hc, 4 T) were obtained for YBCO film on NiO, by using a MgO cap layer with a thickness of 50 nm. The method described in this paper is a simple way to produce long YBCO tape conductors with high-J_c values.     

Specific heat and anisotropic superconducting and normal-state magnetization of HoNi2B2C

The magnetization of single-crystal HoNi₂B₂C has been measured as a function of applied field (H) and temperature in order to probe the interplay between superconductivity and magnetism in this complex layered system. The normal-state magnetic susceptibility of HoNi₂B₂C is highly anisotropic with a Curie-Weiss-like temperature dependence for H applied perpendicular to the c-axis and with a much weaker temperature dependence for H applied parallel to the c-axis, indicating that the Ho⁺³ magnetic moments lie predominately in the tetragonal a−b plane below 20 K. High-field magnetization (2000 Oe), low-field magnetization (20 Oe) and zero-field specific heat all give an antiferromagnetic ordering temperature of T_N=5.0 K. Remarkably, in 20 Oe applied field both superconductivity (T_c=8.0 K) and antiferromagnetism (T_N=5.0 K) clearly make themselves manifest in the magnetization data. From these magnetization data a phase diagram in the H−T plane was constructed for both directions of applied field. This phase diagram shows a non-monotonic temperature dependence of H_c2 with a deep minimum at T_N=5 K. The high-field magnetization data for H applied perpendicular to the c-axis also reveal a cascade of three phase transitions for T < 5 K and H < 15 000 Oe, contributing to the rich H versus T phase diagram for HoNi₂B₂C at low temperatures.     

Slow relaxation and avalanches in the spin-paramagnetic transition of a thin film granular superconductor

We report measurements of the superconducting to normal transition of ultra-thin granular Al films in parallel magnetic fields, H. The parallel critical field,H_c, in our samples is Pauli spin-paramagnetically limited. We find that the critical field transition goes from second-order to strongly first-order at a tricritical point, T_tr, near 250 mK. The first-order transition is characterized by a giant hysteresis in the critical field, ΔH_c 2.5 kG. In the hysteretic region we find that the films are far out of thermodynamic equilibrium and exhibit very slow, τ 10⁴s, glass-like, stretched-exponential relaxation. In addition, we observe significant avalanches. These observations are discussed in terms of a random array of Josephson junctions.     

Induction of superconductivity in pulsed laser ablated La2CuO4 thin films by post-deposition fluorination

Pulsed laser ablation has been used to fabricate La₂CuO₄ thin films. Superconducting properties have been successfully induced in the films by an ex-situ, post-ablation annealing process in F₂ gas resulting in a T_c (onset) of 36 K. The presence of two slightly different c-axis expanded phases in the X-ray diffraction data of the fluorinated films implies a degree of inhomogeneity in F₂ uptake. Critical current densities (J_c) and the irreversibility line have been established from hysteresis cycles. A J_c of 10⁶ A cm⁻² for a typical film was observed at 10 K in zero field.     

ESR of double-perovskite Sr2FeMoO6

We present an ESR study of Sr₂FeMoO₆ in the paramagnetic region. A single line at g≈2 was associated with Fe³⁺ ions. The intensity follows Curie–Weiss law in the whole T range. For T >500 K a secondary line is attributed to ferromagnetic (FM) impurities. The line width is described by ΔH_pp(T)=ΔH_pp(∞)(1−Θ/T) with a high value for ΔH_pp(∞). The absence of narrowing effects is a signature of double-exchange (DE) interactions and indicates that DE drives the FM ordering at a relatively high T_c.     

Coercivity analysis in R17Fe83−χBχ magnets

We studied the coercivity in magnets of composition R₁₇Fe_83−χB_χ (R = Nd, Pr and χ = 8, 30), using measurements of the coercive field H_c, its angular dependence, and the magnetic viscosity coefficient S_v, for temperatures between 4.2 and 500 K. The results are discussed in relation to a model which does not specifically consider the detailed mechanisms involved in magnetization reversal, but which provides information about the magnetic properties in the activation volume v where magnetization reversal is initiated. It is concluded that the ordering temperature in v tends to be slightly smaller than in the bulk and that the room temperature anisotropy in v is not strongly reduced with respect to the bulk value. Finally, a direct evaluation of the dipolar interactions is in good agreement with results obtained from H_c(T).     

Critical behavior of transverse and longitudinal ac susceptibilities in a random anisotropy magnet a-Dy16Fe84

We have investigated critical lines in the H-T plane in a random anisotropy magnet (RAM) a-Dy₁₆Fe₈₄ with a small effective ratio of the anisotropy (D) to the exchange constant (J) by means of ac susceptibility (χ) in static fields H parallel and perpendicular to the ac field. We found that the transverse χ exhibits an anomaly along the irreversible line H(T_f) determined by previous magnetization measurements, while the longitudinal χ does so along a characteristic line H(T_i) in a lower temperature region. Above H(T_f) we also found an extra characteristic line H(T_c). The lines were almost independent of the measured frequency. Both the present results and previous magnetization results suggest that an equilibrium phase transition occurs, and the critical lines analogous to those in Heisenberg spin glasses are present in a weak RAM.