Exchange bias in bulk layered hydroxylammonium fluorocobaltate (NH?OH)?CoF?

The magnetic properties of layered hydroxylammonium fluorocobaltate (NH(3)OH)(2)CoF(4) were investigated by measuring its dc magnetic susceptibility in zero-field-cooled (ZFC) and field-cooled (FC) regimes, its frequency dependent ac susceptibility, its isothermal magnetization curves after ZFC and FC regimes, and its heat capacity. Effects of pressure and magnetic field on magnetic phase transitions were studied by susceptibility and heat capacity measurements, respectively. The system undergoes a magnetic phase transition from a paramagnetic state to a canted antiferromagnetic state exhibiting a weak ferromagnetic behavior at T(C) = 46.5 K and an antiferromagnetic transition at T(N) = 2.9 K. The most spectacular manifestation of the complex magnetic behavior in this system is a shift of the isothermal magnetization hysteresis loop in a temperature range below 20 K after the FC regime-an exchange bias phenomenon. We investigated the exchange bias as a function of the magnetic field during cooling and as a function of temperature. The observed exchange bias was attributed to the large exchange anisotropy which exists due to the quasi-2D structure of the layered (NH(3)OH)(2)CoF(4) material.     

Revealing the origin of the vertical hysteresis loop shifts in an exchange biased Co/YMnO(3) bilayer

We have investigated exchange bias effects in bilayers composed of the antiferromagnetic o-YMnO(3) and ferromagnetic Co thin film by means of SQUID magnetometry, magnetoresistance, anisotropic magnetoresistance and the planar Hall effect. The magnetization and magneto-transport properties show pronounced asymmetries in the field and magnetization axes of the field hysteresis loops. Both exchange bias parameters, the exchange bias field H(E)(T) as well as the magnetization shift M(E)(T), vanish around the Néel temperature T(N)???45?K. We show that the magnetization shift M(E)(T) is also measured by a shift in the anisotropic magnetoresistance and planar Hall resistance having a similar temperature dependence as the one obtained from magnetization measurements. Because the o-YMnO(3) film is highly insulating, our results demonstrate that the M(E)(T) shift originates at the interface within the ferromagnetic Co layer. To show that the main results obtained are general and not because of some special characteristics of the o-YMO(3) layer, similar measurements were done in Co/CoO micro-wires. The transport and magnetization characterization of the micro-wires supports the main conclusion that these effects are related to the response of the ferromagnetic Co layer at the interface.     

Magnetization processes in nanocrystalline gadolinium

The thermal decline in magnetization, M(T), at fixed magnetic field (H) under 'zero-field-cooled' (ZFC) and 'field-cooled' (FC) conditions, the time evolution of ZFC magnetization, M(ZFC)(t), at fixed temperature and field, M(H) hysteresis loops/isotherms, and ac susceptibility have been measured on polycrystalline Gd samples with average grain sizes of d = 12 and 18 nm. The irreversibility in magnetization, M(irr), occurring below a characteristic temperature that reduces with increasing H, is completely suppressed above a grain-size-dependent threshold field, H*. At low fields (H ≤ 100 Oe), M(irr)(T), like the coercive field, H(c)(T), exhibits a minimum at ～16 K and a broad peak at ～50 K before going to zero at T ? T(C) (Curie temperature). At fixed temperature (T < T(C)) and field (H ? H*), where M(irr) is finite, M(ZFC) has a logarithmic dependence on time. The magnetic viscosity (S) at H = 1 Oe and T ≤ 290 K is independent of the measurement time above ～2 ms but for t < 2 ms it is strongly time-dependent. S(T) peaks at T ? T(C) for H = 1 Oe. A magnetic field reduces the peak height and shifts the peak in S(T) to lower temperatures. All the above observations are put on a consistent theoretical footing within the framework of a model in which the intra-grain magnetizations overcome the energy barriers (brought about by the intra-grain and grain-boundary/interfacial magnetic anisotropies) by the thermal activation process. These field- and temperature-dependent energy barriers, that separate the high-energy metastable (ZFC) state from the stable minimum-energy (FC) state, are independent of time for t ? 2 ms and have a very broad distribution. We show that the shape anisotropy plays a decisive role in the magnetization reversal process, and that the magnetocrystalline and magnetostatic fluctuations, prevalent in the grain-boundary and interfacial regions, govern the approach-to-saturation of magnetization in nanocrystalline Gd.     

Size-dependent exchange bias in single phase Mn_3O_4 nanoparticles

Glassy magnetic behavior and exchange bias phenomena are observed in single phase Mn_3O_4 nanoparticles.Dynamics scaling analysis of the ac susceptibility and the Henkel plot indicate that the observed glassy behavior at low temperature can be understood by taking into account the intrinsic behavior of the individual particles consisting of a ferrimagnetic(FIM) core and a spin-glass surface layer.Field-cooled magnetization hysteresis loops display both horizontal and vertical shifts.Dependence of the exchange bias field(H_E) on the cooling field shows an almost undamped feature up to 70 kOe,indicating the stable exchange bias state in Mn_3O_4.H_E increases as the particle size decreases due to the higher surface/volume ratio.The occurrence of the exchange bias can be attributed to the pinning effect of the frozen spin-glass surface layer upon the FIM core.     

Spin dynamics of the S = 5/2 2D triangular antiferromagnet Ba3NbFe3Si2O14

We report pulse-field magnetization, ac susceptibility, and 100 GHz electron spin resonance (ESR) measurements on the S = 5/2 two-dimensional triangular compound Ba3NbFe3Si2O14 with the Néel temperature T(N) = 26 K. The magnetization curve shows an almost linear increase up to 60 T with no indication of a one-third magnetization plateau. An unusually large frequency dependence of the ac susceptibility in the temperature range of T = 20-100 K reveals a spin-glass behavior or superparamagnetism, signaling the presence of frustration-related slow magnetic fluctuations. The temperature dependence of the ESR linewidth exhibits two distinct critical regimes; (i) ΔH(pp)(T) is proportional to (T-T(N))(-p) with the exponent p = 0.2(1)-0.2(3) for temperatures above 27 K, and (ii) ΔH(pp)(T) is proportional to (T-T*)(-p) with T* = 12 K and p = 0.8(1)-0.8(4) for temperatures between 12 and 27 K. This is interpreted as indicating a dimensional crossover of magnetic interactions and the persistence of short-range correlations with a helically ordered state.     

Spin disorder induced reentrant ferromagnetism in iron-based nanocomposites

The low-temperature magnetic behavior of pure iron nanocrystallites dispersed in MgO matrix has been investigated by dc magnetization and ac susceptibility measurements. Irreversibilities in the magnetization data at low field are observed at low temperatures, indicating a passage from a high temperature ferromagnetic phase to a low-temperature disordered, frozen state. Quenching of these irreversibilities is seen when the external magnetic field is increased. The variation of the in-phase susceptibility with temperature showed marked frequency dependence whereas the out-of-phase susceptibility component passes through a maximum. The origin of this behavior is traced to the spin disorder at the grain boundaries, which exhibit a co-operative freezing below a certain temperature.     

Doping dependent evolution of magnetism and superconductivity in Eu(1-x)K(x)Fe2As2 (x = 0-1) and temperature dependence of the lower critical field H(c1)

We have synthesized polycrystalline samples of Eu(1-x)K(x)Fe2As2 (x = 0-1) and carried out systematic characterization using x-ray diffraction, ac and dc magnetic susceptibility, and electrical resistivity measurements. A clear signature of the coexistence of a superconducting transition (T(c) = 5.5 K) with spin density wave (SDW) ordering is observed in our underdoped sample with x = 0.15. The SDW transition disappears completely for the x = 0.3 sample and superconductivity arises below 20 K. The superconducting transition temperature Tc increases with increase in the K content and a maximum Tc = 33 K is reached for x = 0.5, beyond which it decreases again. The doping dependent Tx phase diagram is extracted from the magnetic and electrical transport data. It is found that magnetic ordering of Eu moments coexists with the superconductivity up to x = 0.6. The isothermal magnetization data taken at 2 K for the doped samples suggest the 2+ valence state of the Eu ions. We also present the temperature dependence of the lower critical field H(c1) of the superconducting polycrystalline samples. The values of H(c1)(0) obtained for x = 0.3, 0.5, and 0.7 after taking the demagnetization factor into account are 202, 330, and 212 Oe, respectively. The London penetration depth λ(T) calculated from the lower critical field does not show exponential dependence at low temperature, as would be expected for a fully gapped clean s-wave superconductor. In contrast, it shows a T2 power law feature up to T = 0.3Tc, as observed in Ba(1-x)K(x)Fe2As2 and BaFe(2-x)Co(x)As2.     

Interface biquadratic coupling and magnon scattering in exchange-biased ferromagnetic thin films grown on epitaxial FeF2

The magnetic anisotropy of ferromagnetic (FM) Ni, Co, and Fe polycrystalline thin films grown on antiferromagnetic (AF) FeF(2)(110) epitaxial layers was studied, as a function of temperature, using ferromagnetic resonance. In addition to an in-plane anisotropy in the FM induced by fluctuations in the AF short-range order, a perpendicular (biquadratic) magnetic anisotropy, with an out-of-plane component, was found which increased with decreasing temperature above the AF Neél temperature (T(N) = 78.4 K). This is a surprising result given that the AF's uniaxial anisotropy axis was in the plane of the sample, but is consistent with prior experimental and theoretical work. The resonance linewidth had a strong dependence on the direction of the external magnetic field with respect to in-plane FeF(2) crystallographic directions, consistent with interface magnon scattering due to defect-induced demagnetizing fields. Below T(N), the exchange bias field H(E) measured via FMR for the Ni sample was in good agreement with H(E) determined from magnetization measurements if the perpendicular out-of-plane anisotropy was taken into account. A low field resonance line normally observed at H ≈ 0, associated with domain formation during magnetization in ferromagnets, coincided with the exchange bias field for T < T(N), indicating domain formation with the in-plane FM magnetization perpendicular to the AF easy axis. Thus, biquadratic FM-AF coupling is important at temperatures below and above T(N).     

The nature of the magnetism in quasi-2D layered α-Ni(OH)2

The two layered hexagonal hydroxides of Ni are β-Ni(OH)(2) and α-Ni(OH)(2); β-Ni(OH)(2) is now known to be an antiferromagnet whereas the nature of the magnetism in α-Ni(OH)(2) is not yet well established. Here, the magnetic properties of α-Ni(OH)(2) with lattice parameters a = 3.02 ? and c = 8.6 ?, and flower-like morphology with petal thickness of approximately equal to 50 ? are reported. Temperature (2-300 K) and magnetic field (up to 65 kOe) dependence of the magnetization and ac susceptibility at f = 0.1-1000 Hz were measured. Analysis of the data yields ferromagnetic ordering in the system with T(C) is approximately equal to 16 K. In addition, a nanosize related blocking temperature T(B) = 8 K and spin-glass-like ordering of the surface spins near 3.5 K are inferred from the ac frequency and dc magnetic field dependence of these transitions. Fitting to the high temperature series and quasi-2D nature of the system is used to determine J(1)/k(B) = 4.38 K (J(2)/k(B) = 0.14 K) for the intraplane (interplane) exchange coupling between the Ni(2+) ions.     

Optimization of Pr(0.9)Ca(0.1)MnO(3) thin films and observation of coexisting spin-glass and ferromagnetic phases at low temperature

Optimization of thin films of small bandwidth manganite, Pr(1-x)Ca(x)MnO3 (for x = 0.1), and their magnetic properties are investigated. Using different pulsed laser deposition (PLD) conditions, several films were deposited from the stoichiometric target material on SrTiO3 (001) substrate and their thorough structural and magnetic characterizations were carried out using x-ray diffraction, atomic force microscopy, x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), SQUID magnetometry and ac susceptibility measurements. A systematic investigation shows that irrespective of the growth temperature (between 550 and 750?°C), all the as-deposited films have twin boundaries and magnetic double phases. Post-annealing in partial or full oxygen pressure removes the extra phase and the twin boundaries. Zero-field-cooled magnetization data show an antiferromagnetic to paramagnetic transition at around 100 K whereas the field-cooled magnetization data exhibit a paramagnetic to ferromagnetic transition close to 120 K. However, depending on the oxygen treatments, the saturation magnetization and Curie temperature of the films change significantly. Redistribution of oxygen vacancies due to annealing treatments leading to a change in ratio of Mn3+ and Mn4+ in the films is observed from XPS measurements. Low temperature (below 100 K) dc magnetization of these films shows metamagnetic transition, high coercivity and irreversibility magnetizations, indicating the presence of a spin-glass phase at low temperature. The frequency dependent shift in spin-glass freezing temperature from ac susceptibility measurement confirms the coexistence of spin-glass and ferromagnetic phases in these samples at low temperature.     

Spin-glass-like behavior in CoO nanoparticles and the origin of exchange bias in layered CoO/ferromagnet structures

The magnetic behavior of CoO nanoparticles and layered CoO/ferromagnetic (FM) structures has been investigated by magnetization and hysteresis loop measurements. In the amorphous CoO, a large uncompensation of spins is found that is closely related to spin-glass-like behavior below a freezing temperature T(F) approximately 215-220 K. The spin-glass-like phase may be described by the de Almeida-Thouless line for Ising spin systems. The exchange bias in the layered CoO/FM structures is explained by the spin-glass-like state in the nanoparticles constituting the CoO film.     

Exchange bias with Fe substitution in LaMnO<Subscript>3</Subscript>

We observe the negative shift of the magnetic hysteresis loop at 5 K, while the sample is cooled in external magnetic field in case of 30% of Fe substitution in LaMnO₃. The negative shift and training effect of the hysteresis loops indicate the phenomenon of exchange bias. The cooling field dependence of the negative shift increases with the cooling field below 7.0 kOe and then, decreases with further increase of cooling field. The temperature dependence of the negative shift of the hysteresis loops exhibits that the negative shift decreases sharply with increasing temperature and vanishes above 20 K. Temperature dependence of dc magnetization and ac susceptibility measurements show a sharp peak (T_p) at 51 K and a shoulder (T_f) around 20 K. The relaxation of magnetization shows the ferromagnetic and glassy magnetic components in the relaxation process, which is in consistent with the cluster-glass compound.     

Effect of the surface anisotropy and the shape on the magnetization behavior in an egg-shaped nanoparticle

Using the classical Heisenberg model and Monte Carlo simulation, we compute the magnetization behavior of a ferromagnetic nanoparticle with an egg-shape in an external magnetic field along the symmetry axis. The particle is in a single-domain state with a surface anisotropy axis perpendicular to the surface of the particle. At low temperature, it is found that exchange bias appears in the hysteresis loop, which does not exist in the spherical and ellipsoidal nanoparticles. The bias field produced by the frozen spins on the surface of the egg-shaped nanoparticle may be the reason to produce the phenomenon of the exchange bias.     

The synthesis and exchange bias effect of monodisperse NiO nanocrystals

Monodisperse NiO nanocrystals with an average particle size of 3 ± 0.4 nm are successfully synthesized by the thermal decomposition of Ni-oleylamine complex in an organic solvent under a continuous O2 flux. The crystalline structure and the morphology of the product are investigated by X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and transmission electron microscopy. Magnetization and alternating-current (ac) susceptibility measurements indicate that the structure of the particles can be considered as consisting of an antiferromagnetically ordered core and a spin-glass-like surface shell. In addition, both the exchange bias field and the vertical magnetization shift can be observed in this system at 10 K after field cooling. This observed exchange bias effect is explained in terms of the exchange interaction between the antiferromagnetic core and the spin-glass-like shell.     

Heusler合金Mn50–xCrxNi42Sn8的相变、磁性与交换偏置效应

研究了Mn50–xCrxNi42Sn8 (x=0, 0.4, 0.6, 0.8)多晶样品的相变、磁性和交换偏置效应.结果表明,该系列合金在室温下都具有非调制的四方马氏体结构.马氏体逆相变温度随Cr含量增加而逐渐降低. 20 k Oe磁场下的M-T曲线表明,该系列合金的磁性比较弱.两相之间的磁性差最大为△M=7.61 emu/g.磁性的变化主要与Mn-Mn间距的变化以及Ni(A位)-Mn(D位)间杂化作用的强弱有关.在低温下,马氏体相的磁性随着Cr含量增加而增强.在500 Oe的外加磁场作用下,从室温冷却到5 K,在Mn50Ni42Sn8合金中观察到高达2624 Oe的交换偏置场.随着Cr含量的增加,交换偏置场逐渐减小.当Cr含量x=0.8时,随着冷却场的增加, 5 K时的交换偏置场先迅速增加然后逐渐减小.当冷却场为500 Oe时,交换偏置场最大.这主要归因于自旋玻璃态与反铁磁性区域的界面交换耦合作用的变化.     

Anomalous magnetic properties of an iron film system deposited on fracture surfaces of α-Al2O3 ceramics

An iron film percolation system is fabricated by vapour-phase deposition on fracture surfaces of α-Al2O3 ceramics. The zero-field-cooled （ZFC） and field-cooled （FC） magnetization measurement reveals that the magnetic phase of the film samples evolve from a high-temperature ferromagnetic state to a low-temperature spin-glass-like state, which is also demonstrated by the temperature-dependent ac susceptibility of the iron films. The temperature dependence of the exchange bias field He of the iron film exhibits a minimum peak around the temperature T=5 K, which is independent of the magnitude of the cooling field Hcf. However, for T 〉 10K, （1） He is always negative when Hcf=2kOe and （2） for Hcf= 20 kOe （1Oe≈80 A/m）, He changes from negative to positive values as T increases. Our experimental results show that the anomalous hysteresis properties mainly result from the oxide surfaces of the films with spin-glass-like phase.     

Training effect in an exchange bias system: the role of interfacial domain walls

Polarized neutron reflectivity (PNR) is used to obtain the magnetic depth profile of an antiferromagnetically coupled ferrimagnetic/ferrimagnetic bilayer, Gd40Fe60/Tb12Fe88. This system shows a transition from positive to negative exchange bias field H(E) as the cooling field H(cf) is increased from small to large positive value. It also exhibits training behavior upon field cycling which affects H(E) and the coercive field H(C). From the PNR measurements at room temperature and at 15 K, we confirm that the magnetic configuration inside the TbFe layer is frozen when the sample is cooled in various H(cf). The thickness and pitch of the magnetic twist inside the TbFe layer depend on H(cf) and give rise to the observed differences in the bias field. Irreversible reorganization of the TbFe magnetization at the interface occurs upon GdFe magnetization reversal and is found to explain the training effect as well as the overall reduction in coercivity.     

Temperature evolution of magnetic susceptibility during devitrification of Cu-free HITPERM alloy

Development of structural and magnetic properties of the Fe_44.5Co_44.5Zr₇B₄ alloy during its successive devitrification from amorphous to nanocrystalline state was investigated. Temperature independence of the initial susceptibility in a wide temperature range (20-600 °C) was observed. The origin of such susceptibility behavior was described through the compensation of lowering exchange interaction between nanocrystalline grains and their magnetization at increased temperatures. The stabilization of the domain structure, due to atom pair directional ordering, was confirmed by measurements of the amplitude dependence of susceptibility in a wide field range, where the initial susceptibility remains constant (Perminvar effect).     

Spin-cluster glass state in U(Ga_(0.95)Mn_(0.05))_3

We report the study of a low temperature cluster glass state in 5% Mn-doped UGa_3 heavy fermion compound. This compound transforms from a paramagnetic state to a spin-cluster glass state, which is confirmed by measuring the dc susceptibility and magnetization. The ac susceptibility exhibits a frequency-dependent peak around Tf, which provides direct evidence of the cluster glass state. By analyzing the field-dependent magnetization and frequency-dependent ac susceptibility in detail, we deduce that this compound forms a spin-cluster glass state below T_f.     

Magnetic-field-induced transition from metastable spin glass to possible antiferromagnetic-ferromagnetic phase separation in Cd0.5Cu0.5Cr2O4

Using ac susceptibility, dc magnetization and heat-capacity measurements, we have investigated the magnetic properties of Cd_0.5Cu_0.5Cr₂O₄. Cd_0.5Cu_0.5Cr₂O₄ has an extraordinary magnetic phase including a metastable spin-glass (SG) phase at zero field, a possible phase separation scenario of AFM/FM above ∼0.5 T field, and at intermediate fields, an apparent pseudo reentrant spin-glass (RSG) plateau is observed. These phenomena are closely correlated with the pinning effect of the Cu²⁺ sublattice on the frustrated lattice.