Morphology and magnetic properties of Co0.8Fe2.2O4 films prepared by the chemical solution deposition

Co_0.8Fe_2.2O₄ ferrite thin films have been prepared on Si(0 0 1) substrates by the chemical solution deposition. Structural characteristics indicate all films are single phase with spinel structure and the space group and the mean grain size increases from 8 to 30 nm with the increase of annealing temperature. The magnetic properties of Co_0.8Fe_2.2O₄ thin films are highly dependent on annealing temperature. The sample annealed at 800 °C possesses high saturation magnetization, moderate coercivity and squareness ratio, making it a promising application candidate in high-density record and magneto-optical materials.     

Temperature dependence of electron magnetic resonance and magnetization in NiO nanorods

For NiO nanorods of 5 nm diameter prepared by sol-gel technique, variations of the magnetization M with temperature T (5-370 K) and magnetic field H up to 55 kOe are reported. Also, temperature variations of the EMR (electron magnetic resonance) parameters (intensity I₀, linewidth ΔH and resonance field H_r) of an observed line due to uncompensated spins are followed for The M vs. H and T variations yield a blocking above which the data fits modified Langevin function with magnetic moment μ_p?1240 μ_B/particle. For the EMR line, I₀ decreases rapidly for T<T_B, and the line broadens and shifts to lower H with lowering T, following the lineshift δH_r=(ΔH)ⁿ with n?2.8. This is close to the value of n=3 expected for randomly oriented particles.     

Low-temperature magnetic structures in the DySi FeB-type compound 27.03.09

The low-temperature magnetic ordering of the dimorphic DySi compound has been studied at 1.5 K by neutron diffraction on two polycrystalline samples. The samples comprise various amounts of the two orthorhombic modifications: CrB-type (Cmcm Nr. 63, all atoms at 4c site: (0, y, )) and FeB-type (Pnma Nr. 62, all atoms at 4c site: (x, , z)), both order antiferromagnetically (T_N≈38 K). The CrB-type phase orders with a uniaxial structure with the wave vector q₁=(0, 0, ) requiring a doubling of the c-axis. The Dy moments point along the linear chain with the shortest distance c. At 1.5 K, the ordered moment value is 8.57(1) μ_B/Dy atom.Two symmetry independent wave vectors describe the 1.5 K magnetic ordering of the FeB-type phase: q₂=(0, , ) and q₃=(0, 0.484(1), 0.0892(1)), coexisting in form of domains. In both structures the magnetic moments are confined to the (0 0 1) plane at an angle of 2(2)° and 22(3)° from the shortest axis b, respectively. Both structures correspond to sine wave modulations. The amplitude of the q₂ wave is m_o=7.5(1) μ_B/Dy atom and that of q₃ 8.2(1) μ_B/Dy atom. The wave vector q₂ when referring to the (a, 2b, c) cell and the wave vector q=(0, 0, ) corresponds to a transversal modulation, which by a proper origin choice can be also described as an antiphase domain structure with two amplitudes. The moments point to the b-axis and are stacked in the sequence (+m_o/2, −m_o/2, −m_o, −m_o/2, +m_o/2, +m_o, …) along the c-direction, while t_b acts as an antitranslation. For the q₃ phase, the local moment value depends on the atom position in the wave. We also discuss the case where q₃ and q₂ act simultaneously in physical space.     

Approach of single-molecule magnets to thermal equilibrium

We study the spin-lattice relaxation of single-molecule-magnets (SMM) using time-dependent specific heat C_m measurements. These molecular clusters, intermediate between paramagnetic atoms and ferromagnetic nanoparticles, are ideal systems to investigate if quantum phenomena contribute to relaxation at the mesoscopic scale. Experiments show indeed that relaxation to equilibrium proceeds by quantum tunnelling through the magnetic anisotropy energy barrier. For sufficiently high temperatures tunnelling takes place between excited magnetic states. Tunnelling via lower lying states can be promoted by applying a magnetic field B_⊥ perpendicular to the anisotropy axis. For sufficiently large B_⊥, the lowest energy states become quantum coherent superpositions. The equilibrium C_m is dominated, for T<1 K, by dipolar interactions between the molecular spins. A nearly isotropic Mn₆ cluster compound shows a transition to a ferromagnetic phase at For Ising-like SMM's, such as Mn₄, relaxation takes place by incoherent tunnelling between the lowest lying ±S states, assisted by interactions with phonons and nuclear spins. Tunnelling can then be promoted by lowering the symmetry of the molecule. In this case too, the molecular spins order if tunnelling remains sufficiently fast down to      

Nuclear and magnetic order in Y(Ni,Mn)O3 manganites by neutron powder diffraction

Neutron powder diffraction experiments performed on two selected compositions of the yttrium-based solid solution YNi_xMn_1−xO₃ clearly reveal a nuclear order between the Ni²⁺ and Mn⁴⁺ ions in the half-substituted compound YNi_0.50Mn_0.50O₃, so that the crystal structure is no longer described in the conventional orthorhombic Pbnm space group, but in the monoclinic P2₁/n, all over the investigated temperature range (1.5-300 K). However, both X-rays diagrams and neutron patterns of the YNi_0.25Mn_0.75O₃ phase are indexed in the Pbnm orthorhombic-like symmetry, indicating that the Mn and Ni ions are randomly distributed on the octahedral sites.In addition, neutron diffraction points out that the nature of the magnetic ordering is strongly connected to the structural properties. Whereas no long-range 3D-magnetic ordering was detected for the Pbnm YNi_0.25Mn_0.75O₃ phase, the YNi_0.50Mn_0.50O₃ compound exhibits a magnetic transition at The magnetic structure consists of two collinear Mn⁴⁺ and Ni²⁺ ferromagnetic layers (F_x0F_z magnetic configurations) with saturated magnetic moment values of 2.25(2) and 1.57(2) μ_B for Mn⁴⁺ and Ni²⁺, respectively, at 1.5 K.     

Structure and magnetism in Ho1−xSrxCoO3−δ

We have magnetically and structurally characterized the Ho_1−xSr_xCoO_3−δ family of materials where 0.67≤x≤0.95. The solid solution range and evolution of the structure as a function of x is established and correlated with the broad range of magnetic behavior observed. The structure is shown to be tetragonal I4/mmm although is possibly cubic when x=0.95. For 0.67≤x≤0.9 the material shows antiferromagnetic long range order and ferromagnetic clusters. At x=0.95 the magnetic transition is at 120 K and the imaginary susceptibility becomes non-zero and the temperature of the cusp in the ac susceptibility shows a frequency dependence indicative of glassiness.     

Use of ferromagnetic resonance to determine the size distribution of γ-Fe2O3 nanoparticles

Ferromagnetic resonance (FMR) experiments were performed as a function of temperature (10-300 K) on γ-Fe₂O₃ nanoparticles prepared by a sol-gel method. By measuring at several temperatures the relative intensity of the spectrum due to superparamagnetic particles and the anisotropy field of the spectrum due to ferrimagnetic particles, we determined the size distribution of γ-Fe₂O₃ nanoparticles. It was found to be a log-normal distribution with a most probable diameter D_m=8.1 nm and a standard deviation σ=0.25. Transmission electron microscopy measurements performed on the same samples yielded a log-normal distribution with D_m=11.2 nm and σ=0.23. The difference is attributed to the existence of a disordered surface layer in the particles.     

Magnetic study of Mg0.95Mn0.05Fe2O4 ferrite nanoparticles

The magnetic properties of Mg_0.95Mn_0.05Fe₂O₄ ferrite samples with an average particle size of ∼6.0±0.6 nm have been studied using X-ray diffraction, Mössbauer spectroscopy, dc magnetization and frequency dependent real χ^′(T) and imaginary χ^″(T) parts of ac susceptibility measurements. A magnetic transition to an ordered state is observed at about 195 K from Mössbauer measurements. The zero-field-cooled (ZFC) and field-cooled (FC) magnetization have been recorded at low field and show the typical behavior of a small particle system. The ZFC curve displays a broad maximum at , a temperature which depends upon the distribution of particle volumes in the sample. The FC curve was nearly flat below , as compared with monotonically increasing characteristics of non-interacting superparamagnetic systems indicating the existence of strong interactions among the nanoparticles. A frequency-dependent peak observed in χ^′(T) is well described by Vogel-Fulcher law, yielding a relaxation time and an interaction parameter . Such values show the strong interactions and rule out the possibility of spin-glass (SG) features among the nanoparticle system. On the other hand fitting with the Néel-Brown model and the power law yields an unphysical large value of τ₀ (∼6×10⁻⁶⁹ and 1.2×10⁻²² s respectively).     

Sn Mössbauer spectroscopy and specific heat studies of the stannides RETSn (RE=Gd-Er and T=Cu,Ag)

The stannides RETSn (RE=Gd-Er and T=Cu,Ag), NdPtSb type structure, space group P6₃mc, have been investigated by ¹¹⁹Sn Mössbauer spectroscopy and specific heat studies. Small transferred magnetic hyperfine fields are detected at the tin nuclei at 4.2 K in the ¹¹⁹Sn Mössbauer spectra of RECuSn (RE=Tb,Dy and Ho) which reveal that these compounds undergo magnetic transitions at low temperatures. Heat capacity (C) measurements show that the title compounds undergo antiferromagnetic ordering. In order to explore the magnetic behaviour below the Néel temperature (T_N), the magnetic part of heat capacity was obtained by subtracting the lattice part of heat capacity obtained from the isostructural non-magnetic stannides Y TSn (T=Cu,Ag). of GdCuSn exhibits an equal moment (EM) magnetic structure and also exhibits multiple transitions below T_N, revealing higher order exchange interactions. Among the REAgSn stannides, the magnetic part of heat capacity for RE=Dy and Er exhibits non-T³ behaviour at low temperatures.     

Dependence of photoluminescence from a-Si nanoparticles on the annealing time and exciting wavelength

Thin films of SiO_x having thickness of 0.2 μm and oxygen content x=1.5 or 1.7 are prepared by thermal evaporation of SiO in vacuum. Then some samples are furnace annealed for various times (in the range ) at 770 and 970 K and some others are rapid thermal annealed at 970 K for 30 and 60 s. Photoluminescence (PL) measurements are carried out at room temperature using the 442 nm line of a He-Cd laser and the 488 nm of an Ar laser for excitation. The effect of the annealing conditions and wavelength of the exciting light on the shape of the PL from these films is explored. The deconvolution of the PL spectra measured with the 442 nm line from samples annealed at 770 K for reveals two distinct PL bands peaked at around 2.3 and 2.5 eV, which do not shift appreciably with increasing annealing time. In addition, at longer annealing times, a weak third band is resolved centred in the range 2.0-2.1 eV. It exists in the spectra of all samples annealed at 970 K being more prominent in the samples with x=1.5. The intensity of this band shows different dependences on the annealing time in the films with different initial composition. The results obtained are discussed in terms of radiative recombination via defect states in the SiO_x matrix (the 2.5 eV band) or at the a-Si-SiO_x interface (the 2.3 eV band). The band centred in the 2.0-2.1 eV range is related to recombination in amorphous silicon nanoparticles grown upon annealing.     

Magnetic properties of PrRh2Si2: A neutron diffraction study

The magnetic properties of polycrystalline PrRh₂Si₂ sample have been investigated by neutron diffraction measurements. Antiferromagnetic transition with an anomalously high ordering temperature (T_N∼68 K) is clearly observed in magnetic susceptibility, specific heat, electrical resistivity and neutron diffraction measurements. Neutron diffraction study shows that Pr³⁺ ions carry an ordered moment of 2.99(7)μ_B/Pr³⁺ and align along the crystallographic±c-directions for the ions located at the (0,0,0) and positions. The magnetoresistance at 2 K and 10 T is rather large (∼35%).     

Ferromagnetism in epitaxial layers of gallium and indium antimonides and indium arsenide supersaturated by manganese impurity

We report on laser synthesis of thin 30–200 nm epitaxial layers with mosaic structure of diluted magnetic semiconductors GaSb:Mn and InSb:Mn with the Curie temperature T_C above 500 K and of InAs:Mn with T_C no less than 77 K. The concentration of Mn was ranged from 0.02 to 0.15. In the case of InSb:Mn and InAs:Mn films, the additional pulse laser annealing was needed to achieve ferromagnetic behavior. We used Kerr and Hall effects methods as well as ferromagnetic resonance (FMR) spectroscopy to study magnetic properties of the samples. The anisotropy FMR was observed for both layers of GaSb:Mn and InSb:Mn up to 500 K but it takes place with different temperature dependencies of absorption spectra peaks. The resonance field value and amplitude of FMR signal on the temperature is monotonically decreased with the temperature increase for InSb:Mn. In the case of GaSb:Mn, this dependence is not monotonic.     

Magnetic and transport properties of UPd2Sb

A new compound UPd₂Sb was prepared and studied by means of X-ray diffraction, magnetization, electrical resistivity, magnetoresistivity, thermoelectric power and specific heat measurements. The phase crystallizes with a cubic structure of the MnCu₂Al-type (s.g. ). It orders antiferromagnetically at T_N=55 K and exhibits a modified Curie-Weiss behaviour with reduced effective magnetic moment at higher temperatures. The electrical resistivity behaves in a manner characteristic of systems with strong electronic correlations, showing Kondo effect in the paramagnetic region and Kondo-like response to the applied magnetic field. The Seebeck coefficient exhibits a behaviour expected for scattering of conduction electrons on a narrow quasiparticle band near the Fermi energy. The low-temperature electronic specific heat in UPd₂Sb is moderately enhanced being about 81 mJ/mol K².     

Mössbauer studies on the superparamagnetic behavior of CoFe2O4 with a few nanometers

CoFe₂O₄ nanoparticles with a cubic spinel structure are prepared by a high-temperature thermal decomposition method. The average particle sizes are 4.6  and 5.7 nm for CoFe₂O₄ made with two kinds of solvents by TEM. Mössbauer spectra of 4.6 nm particles displayed a superparamagnetic behavior as demonstrated by a single line with zero hyperfine fields, but that of 5.7 nm particles did not at room temperature. It is considered that anisotropy energy was still more superior to thermal energy because of particle size of 5.7 nm CoFe₂O₄. Furthermore, Mössbauer spectra exhibited the typical spectrum shapes of the CoFe₂O₄ at 4.2 K. The spectrum at 4.2 K was fitted using two magnetic components of hyperfine fields _Hhf=540.4,512.6$H_{\mathrm{hf}}=540.4,512.6$ kOe and isomer shifts δ=0.40,0.30$\delta =0.40,0.30$ mm/s for 4.6 nm and _Hhf=542.7,512.8$H_{\mathrm{hf}}=542.7,512.8$ kOe and δ=0.41,0.29$\delta =0.41,0.29$ mm/s for 5.7 nm corresponding to Fe³⁺ ions at site A and site B, respectively.     

Synthesis and magnetic properties of CoFe2O4 ferrite nanoparticles

CoFe₂O₄ ferrite nanoparticles were prepared by a modified chemical coprecipitation route. Structural and magnetic properties were systematically investigated. X-ray diffraction results showed that the sample was in single phase with the space group . The results of field-emission scanning electronic microscopy showed that the grains appeared spherical with diameters ranging from 20 to 30 nm. The composition determined by energy-dispersive spectroscopy was stoichiometry of CoFe₂O₄. The Curie temperature in the process of increasing temperature was slightly higher than that in the process of decreasing temperature. This can be understood by the fact that heating changed Co²⁺ ion redistribution in tetrahedral and in octahedral sites. The coercivity of the synthesized CoFe₂O₄ samples was lower than the theoretical values, which could be explained by the mono-domain structure and a transformation from ferrimagnetic to superparamagnetic state.