Annealing effect on the magnetic properties of Fe-Co-Zr alloy flakes

The Fe-Co-Zr alloy flakes were prepared from gas atomized powders and then annealed at various temperatures under vacuum. The products were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). Furthermore, their magnetic properties, saturation flux density and coercivity, as well as the real (μ′) and imaginary (μ″) parts of complex permeability within 2-12.4 GHz were measured. The results indicate that the average grain size increase while the internal strain decreases with the increase of annealing temperature. The annealed samples show a minor decrease of saturation flux density and a significant reduction of coercivity. The μ′ of annealed sample shows larger values in comparison with the as-milled one, meanwhile, the maximum μ″ increases with the increasing temperature. The present study demonstrates that a proper annealing temperature is helpful to improve the microwave properties of metallic flakes.     

Controllable synthesis of beta-Mn2V2O7 microtubes and hollow microspheres

β-Mn₂V₂O₇ microtubes with the range of 15-25 μm in length, 2.5-3.5 μm in external diameter, and ca 0.4 μm of the wall in thickness, as well as β-Mn₂V₂O₇ hollow microspheres with an average outer diameter of 2 μm were successfully synthesized in a suitable molar ratio of NH₄VO₃ and MnCO₃ powders via a hydrothermal process. XRD and FESEM were used to characterize the products, and the magnetic susceptibility curve was also measured. In the whole process, the concentration of Mn²⁺ cations derived from MnCO₃ dissolution plays a crucial role in the formation of β-Mn₂V₂O₇ microtubes and hollow microspheres.     

Martensitic transformation behaviors and magnetic properties of Ni-Mn-Ga rapidly quenched ribbons

In this paper, the phase transformation behaviors and structures of Ni₅₀Mn_28 + xGa_22 − x (x = 0, 1, 2, 3) alloys and ribbons as well as the magnetic properties of ribbons are discussed. Rapidly quenching process decreases the degree of order and introduces some internal stress, which influences the martensitic transformation temperatures of the ribbons. The structures of the ribbons become 7 M modulated, which is different from the 5 M modulated martensite of the corresponding bulk materials. Higher annealing temperature and annealing under magnetic field are all in favor of the magnetization of the ribbons, and this is related to the enhancement of orientation perpendicular to the surface of the ribbons.     

Enhanced magnetic properties of cobalt nanoparticles on FeMn films

Monodisperse cobalt nanoparticles are synthesized by the thermal decomposition of Co₂(CO)₈ in phenyl ether and subsequently deposited on antiferromagnetic (AFM) FeMn films and glass substrates, respectively. Magnetic measurement shows that the as-prepared Co nanoparticles are superparamagnetic and can be transformed into ferromagnetic (FM) through thermal treatment. While keeping monodisperse, the annealed FM Co nanoparticles on AFM FeMn films show a much larger coercivity than the ones on glass substrates due to FM/AFM exchange coupling. Accordingly, we propose a convenient method to enhance magnetic properties of nanoparticles.     

Microwave-assisted synthesis and magnetic studies of cobalt oxide nanoparticles

An efficient microwave-assisted route has been used to synthesize nanoparticles of cobalt oxide. The particles were well characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) which showed that the average diameter of the particles is around 6 nm. X-ray diffraction (XRD) studies further confirmed the formation of the spinel Co₃O₄. Purity of the products was detected by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) combined with thermal gravimetric analysis (TG/DTG). The magnetic measurements revealed a small hysteresis loop at room temperature indicating a weak ferromagnetic nature of the synthesized Co₃O₄ nanoparticles. The magnetic moment of the particles was measured to be 4.27 μ_eff.     

Metallic cobalt microcrystals with flowerlike architectures: Synthesis, growth mechanism and magnetic properties

Well-defined, three-dimensional (3D) flowerlike metallic Co microcrystals with several radiating hexagonal-tapered petals assembled by particles size of 150-250 nm were fabricated via a facile hydrothermal reduction route under a fixed basic condition. The morphology and structure of the products were characterized by scanning electronic microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), selected area electron diffraction (SAED), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and powder X-ray diffraction (XRD). The probable formation mechanism of the flowerlike Co microcrystals was discussed based on the experimental results. Magnetic properties of Co microcrystals were investigated by a commercial Physical Properties Measurement System (PPMS). The flowerlike products exhibited ferromagnetic characteristics with a saturation magnetization of 128.1 emu/g and a coercivity of 232.5 Oe at room temperature. Compared to the coercivity value of bulk Co, the products displayed a remarkable enhanced value due to their special morphology.     

Wavelength dependence of Verdet constant of Pr doped terbium gallium garnet crystal

Samples of the magneto-active material – Pr³⁺: Tb₃Ga₅O₁₂ crystals with Pr³⁺ ion concentration of 1%, 2%, 3% and 5%. The Verdet constant measurement has been carried out at room temperature in the 400–1500 nm range for all crystal samples and was compared with a pure Tb₃Ga₅O₁₂ material. A high value of the Verdet constant for 5% Pr³⁺: Tb₃Ga₅O₁₂ crystal was obtained at room temperature – namely, 324.5, 200.1 and 68.7 rad/(T·m) for 532, 632.8 and 1064 nm, respectively. The Verdet constant of Pr doped TGG crystal at 1064 nm is much more higher than that of TGG. The superior performance of the materials indicates that Pr³⁺: Tb₃Ga₅O₁₂ crystals have great potential to meet the increasing demand for magneto-optical devices in the VIS-NIR wavelength.     

Size dependences of lattice constant and magnetic properties of Ni nanoplatelets

Ni plate-like nanoparticles (or nanoplatelets), with a mean diameter in the range from 42 to 130 nm and a thickness of about 10 nm, were synthesized by solution reduction method. Increased crystallite-size dependences of the lattice constant and the coercivity were observed. The cause for the variation of the lattice constant and the coercivity of Ni nanoplatelets with their size was investigated, respectively.     

Crystalline structure and magnetic and magneto-optical properties of MnSbBi thin films

Mn–Sb–Bi thin films were prepared by successive r.f. or d.c. sputter deposition of elements in a trilayer configuration with either Bi or Sb as the first layer. In-situ transmission electron microscopy (TEM) observations were conducted to investigate the morphology and structure of the films, both as-deposited and after annealing at 623 K for 5 h in a high vacuum furnace. The morphology and structure of all the films are highly dependent on the first-deposited layer. For the annealed film in the configuration of Mn/Bi/Sb// a well-defined hexagonal Mn–Sb–Bi NiAs type structure with the c-axis perpendicular to the film surface was observed. The grain size (100 nm) was two times larger than that of the film having Bi as the first layer. In both kinds of film the easy direction of magnetisation was very close to the film plane. The polar Kerr rotation from the two film structures was approximately 1.0°.     

Instabilities in crystallization and magnetic behavior of Fe-Si-B amorphous alloys

Experimental evidence is presented to support the idea that the boron content, which influences the Fe-Fe pair distances and the electronic structure, determines the magnetic properties of amorphous Fe-Si-B alloys. Magnetic moment variations are ascribed to the local environment of the iron atoms and to the electronic structure of the amorphous Fe-Si-B alloys while the T_c changes are due to the increase of the Fe-Fe pair distances. The mean atomic magnetic moments per iron atoms were extrapolated at 0 K. Radial Distribution Analysis combined with Rietveld refinement achieved an estimation of Fe-Fe distances in amorphous and partially crystallized specimens, while the peculiarities in crystallization were revealed by HRTEM.     

Selected-control synthesis of hierarchical nickel structures

Nickel with urchinlike and sisallike structures has been successfully fabricated by a facile hydrothermal method. Investigations have revealed that the addition of surfactants and the presence of hydrazine hydrate and glycine are essential for the morphologies development. Furthermore, the magnetic properties of the samples with different morphologies have been studied, and the possible formation process is also discussed.     

Structure and formation process of (K,Na)-clinoptilolite

In order to synthesize (K,Na)-clinoptilolite, a (K,Na)-aluminosilicate slurry with a seed crystal was stirred at 30 °C for 4 days and then hydrothermally treated under homogeneous mixing conditions at 120 °C for 14 days. The Si/Al:(Na+K)/Si:K/(Na+K):H₂O/Al molar ratio of the starting materials was 6.0:0.42:0.5:52.5. The formation process of (K,Na)-clinoptilolite was investigated by a variety of techniques. When the materials were hydrothermally treated up to 6 days, amorphous (K,Na)-aluminosilicate was formed. After the hydrothermal treatment for 8 days, irregular particles due to the amorphous (K,Na)-aluminosilicate disappeared and plate-like particles of (K,Na)-clinoptilolite were formed, indicating that the amorphous aluminosilicate crystallized as clinoptilolite. In addition, (Na+K)/Al molar ratio in the materials varied from 1.2 to 1.0, accompanying the decrease of cation exchange capacity. During the crystallization, the wavenumber of external linkages of TO bonds shifted to higher values, implying that the SiOSi and SiOAl bonds were formed.     

Designed synthesis and magnetic properties of Co hierarchical nanostructures

Size and shape controlled fabrication of magnetic Co microsphere, nanoribbon, nanochain and rose-like microarchitecture has been successfully realized via a simple hydrothermal route. X-ray diffraction analysis suggests that Co hierarchical nanostructures are identified as hexagonal phase. Magnetic hysteresis measurements demonstrate that the obtained different Co hierarchical structures show structure-dependent magnetic properties. Saturation magnetization (M_S) found for Co spherical flowers and spherical powders are larger than Co nanoribbons, smaller than sphere-rebuilt micro particles or chain-like structures. Chain-like and nanorribon structures have abnormally large coercivity (H_C). H_C values of Co nanoribbons and one dimensional chains become as large as 256 Oe and 316 Oe.     

Crystal structure and magnetic properties of the compound FeDy6Sb2

The crystal structure of a compound FeDy₆Sb₂ was determined by X-ray powder diffraction using the Rietveld method. The compound crystallizes in the hexagonal, space group P6¯2m (No. 189) with the Fe₂P structure type and lattice parameters a = 0.81449(5) nm, c = 0.41641(3) nm, z = 1 and D_calc = 8.842 g/cm³. The maximum magnetic entropy change ΔS_M for the compound is 3.41 J kg^− 1 K^− 1 near its Curie temperature (143.4 K) on the magnetic field changes of 0-2.0 T.     

Improvement of magnetic characteristics and electrical properties of FeCoHfO/AlOx multilayered films

High permeability magnetic films can enhance the inductance of thin-film inductors in DC-DC converters. In order to obtain high permeability, effective uniaxial anisotropic field should be as low as possible. A multilayered technique (laminating the magnetic layers with oxide spacers) was exploited to improve the magnetic properties of thick films. The FeCoHfO/AlO_x multilayered films were fabricated by dc reactive magnetron sputtering. Inserting an insulator (AlO_x) layer can decrease the magneto-elastic anisotropy by reducing the residual stress of the FeCoHfO magnetic films. The anisotropic field and resistivity of the FeCoHfO/AlO_x multilayered films were evidently improved by multilayered coating. With this optimum configuration of 9 layers structure [FeCoHfO (133 nm)/AlO_x (10 nm)]₉, low anisotropic field (H_K = 65 Oe) and high resistivity (ρ ∼ 1350) μΩ cm were achieved.     

Convenient synthesis of anisotropic Fe3O4 nanorods by reverse co-precipitation method with magnetic field-assisted

Anisotropic magnetite (Fe₃O₄) nanorods were prepared via a facile way in room temperature by the method of reverse co-precipitation with external magnetic field-assisted. These Fe₃O₄ nanorod products had an average diameter of 10 nm and a length range of 100-150 nm and had the characteristics of superparamagnetism. Meanwhile, the nanorod structures owned a greater saturation magnetization than the square magnetite nanoparticles obtained without the magnetic field. In order to study the role of the magnetic field in the reaction, the constituent, phase, and morphology of these nanostructures were characterized by different means. The analysis results symptomatized that the intensity of magnetic field directly impacted the length and the productive rate of nanorods but had no obvious effect to the diameter size.     

Synthesis, magnetic properties and catalytic activity of hierarchical cobalt microflowers

A simple one pot synthesis method for the silver catalyzed growth of pure hexagonal close packed cobalt by the reduction of cobalt salt using hydrazine hydrate in the presence of triethanolamine (TEA), diethanolamine (DEA) and ethylene glycol (EG) as capping agents at 90 degrees C within 10 min has been reported. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) images of the product prepared in the presence of capping agents show the formation of the well defined porous flowery architecture originating from the interlinked 2D wavy nanoflakes. When the same reaction is performed in the absence of any capping agent, the agglomeration of the flakes of cobalt with irregular spherical morphology is observed. The effect of the reaction conditions on the size and the shape of the products have also been studied. Vibration sample magnetometer (VSM) shows, that the products are ferromagnetic in nature irrespective of the capping agents used and possess high value of coercivity, when prepared in the absence of any capping agent. These cobalt microflowers have also been proved as an alternative to the other available expensive catalysts (Au, Ag, Pt) in the room temperature production of p-aminophenol for its applications in pharmaceutical, photographic and plastic industries.     

Effects of the stacking levels on permeability characteristics and soft magnetic properties in FeCoHfAlO/AlOx multilayered films

In the communication industry, miniaturization is highly required for inductor devices. In order to miniature the dimension of inductors, high inductance is necessary. For this purpose, to employ high-permeability magnetic films enhances the inductance of inductors. For high-permeability, in-plane uniaxial anisotropy is a critical demand. The FeCoHfAlO/AlO_x multilayered films were fabricated by dc reactive magnetron sputtering. Due to the insertion of AlO_x layers, the out-of-plane uniaxial anisotropy of the FeCoHfAlO magnetic films is reduced and their resistivity is also raised. Therefore, the permeability of the FeCoHfAlO/AlO_x multilayers will be increased further. With the optimum configuration of a seven-layer structure [FeCoHfAlO (171 nm)/AlO_x (10 nm)]₇, high resistivity (ρ ~ 7490 μΩcm) and high-permeability (μ′ > 90 at 30-50 MHz) were obtained. The permeability increased nearly ten times from 9 (3 layers) to 98 (7 layers).     

On the growth mechanism of nickel and cobalt nanowires and comparison of their magnetic properties

Magnetic nanowires (NWs) are ideal materials for the fabrication of various multifunctional nanostructures which can be manipulated by an external magnetic field. Highly crystalline and textured nanowires of nickel (Ni NWs) and cobalt (Co NWs) with high aspect ratio (∼330) and high coercivity have been synthesized by electrodeposition using nickel sulphate hexahydrate (NiSO₄·6H₂O) and cobalt sulphate heptahydrate (CoSO₄·7H₂O) respectively on nanoporous alumina membranes. They exhibit a preferential growth along 〈110〉. A general mobility assisted growth mechanism for the formation of Ni and Co NWs is proposed. The role of the hydration layer on the resulting one-dimensional geometry in the case of potentiostatic electrodeposition is verified. A very high interwire interaction resulting from magnetostatic dipolar interactions between the nanowires is observed. An unusual low-temperature magnetisation switching for field parallel to the wire axis is evident from the peculiar high field M(T) curve.      

Electron spin resonance and AC susceptibility studies on La0.9Pb0.1MnO3 single crystals

Phase separation has been recognized as important properties of manganite to create colossal magnetoresistance (CMR). Frequency dependence of AC susceptibility and electron spin resonance (ESR) studies confirm the phase separated glassy magnetism in the La_0.9Pb_0.1MnO₃ crystals. ESR spectra exhibit a gradual narrowing of the asymmetric FMR signals upon increasing the temperature and approaching the Curie temperature (T_c). The temperature dependence of line width (ΔH_pp), g-factor, double integrated (I) intensity of the resonance signals and frequency dependence peak temperatures are discussed in this paper to explain inhomogeneity in the La_0.9Pb_0.1MnO₃ single crystals.