Strong room-temperature ferromagnetism in Co2+-doped TiO2 made from colloidal nanocrystals

Colloidal cobalt-doped TiO(2) (anatase) nanocrystals were synthesized and studied by electronic absorption, magnetic circular dichroism, transmission electron microscopy, magnetic susceptibility, cobalt K-shell X-ray absorption spectroscopy, and extended X-ray absorption fine structure measurements. The nanocrystals were paramagnetic when isolated by surface-passivating ligands, weakly ferromagnetic (M(s) approximately 1.5 x 10(-)(3) micro(B)/Co(2+) at 300 K) when aggregated, and strongly ferromagnetic (up to M(s) = 1.9 micro(B)/Co(2+) at 300 K) when spin-coated into nanocrystalline films. X-ray absorption data reveal that cobalt is in the Co(2+) oxidation state in all samples. In addition to providing strong experimental support for the existence of intrinsic ferromagnetism in cobalt-doped TiO(2), these results demonstrate the possibility of using colloidal TiO(2) diluted magnetic semiconductor nanocrystals as building blocks for assembly of ferromagnetic semiconductor nanostructures with potential spintronics applications.