Composite nanowire-based probes for magnetic resonance force microscopy

Growth, reaction and nanowire formation of Fe on the ZnS(1 0 0) surface

The growth and reaction of Fe on a ZnS(1 0 0) substrate are studied in situ and with high lateral resolution using low energy electron microscopy (LEEM), micro low energy electron diffraction ( μLEED), x-ray photoemission electron microscopy (XPEEM), microprobe x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy ( μXPS) and x-ray magnetic circular dichroism PEEM (XMCDPEEM) for complementary structural, chemical, and magnetic characterization. Initially, a two-dimensional (Fe, Zn)S reaction layer forms with thickness that depends on growth temperature. Further growth results in the formation of a variety of three-dimensional crystals, most of them strongly elongated in the form of 'nanowires' of two distinct types, labeled as A and B. Type A nanowires are oriented near the ZnS[1 1 0] direction and are composed of Fe. Type B nanowires are oriented predominantly along directions a few degrees off the ZnS[0 0 1] direction and are identified as Greigite (Fe3S4). Both types of nanowires are magnetic with Curie temperatures above 450 °C. The understanding of the reactive growth mechanism in this system that is provided by these investigations may help to develop growth methods for other elemental and transition metal chalcogenide nanostructures on ZnS and possibly on other II-VI semiconductor surfaces.

Factors affecting the shape of MBE-grown laterally aligned Fe nanowires

Various microstructural and chemical analysis techniques were applied to study two types (type-A and B) of self-assembled laterally aligned Fe nanowires (NWs) fabricated by molecular beam epitaxy on a ZnS buffer layer. The formation of the three-dimensional shapes of these NWs was found to be driven by the principle of surface energy minimization. We have provided phenomenological models to address the factors affecting the observed topological shape of these NWs, including the role of the lattice relationship between the Fe NWs and the underlying buffer layer, growth temperature, Fe nominal coverage and substrate orientation. Magnetic hysteresis measurements were performed at different temperature, demonstrating the Fe NWs possess a coercivity about 30 times larger than that of a Fe thin film. The observed gradual magnetization reversal indicates the magnetization process is accomplished by the rotation of magnetic moments within a single domain.

Robust Fe3O4/SiO2-Pt/Au/Pd magnetic nanocatalysts with multifunctional hyperbranched polyglycerol amplifiers

Here we report a facile approach to prepare multicarboxylic hyperbranched polyglycerol (HPG)-grafted SiO(2)-coated iron oxide (Fe(3)O(4)/SiO(2)) magnetic hybrid support. This support combined the both features of Fe(3)O(4) and HPG, facile magnetic separation, and favorable molecular structure with numerous functional groups. With the use of the grafted-HPGs as templates, various noble metal nanocatalysts such as Pt, Au, and Pd were directly grown on the surfaces of magnetic support with ultrasmall and nearly monodisperse sizes (e.g., the average sizes of Pt, Au, and Pd are 4.8 +/- 0.5, 6.0 +/- 0.6, and 4.0 +/- 0.4 nm, respectively) and high coverage densities. Because of the amplification effect of HPG, high loading capacities of the nanocatalysts, around 0.296, 0.243, and 0.268 mmol/g for Pt, Au, and Pd, respectively, were achieved. Representative catalytic reactions including reduction of 4-nitrophenol, alcohol oxidation, and Heck reaction demonstrated the high catalytic activity of the noble metal nanocatalysts. Because of the stabilization of HPG templates, the nanocatalysts can be readily recycled by a magnet and reused for the next reactions with high efficiencies. The robust multifunctional magnetic hybrids will find important applications in catalysis and other fields such as drug delivery and bioseparations.

Magnetic nanostructures as amplifiers of transverse fields in magnetic resonance

We introduce the concept of amplifying the transverse magnetic fields produced and/or detected with inductive coils in magnetic resonance settings by using the reversible transverse susceptibility properties of magnetic nanostructures. First, we describe the theoretical formalism of magnetic flux amplification through the coil in the presence of a large perpendicular DC magnetic field (typical of magnetic resonance systems) achieved through the singularity in the reversible transverse susceptibility in anisotropic single domain magnetic nanoparticles. We experimentally demonstrate the concept of transverse magnetic flux amplification in an inductive coil system using oriented nanoparticles with uni-axial magnetic anisotropy. We also propose a composite ferromagnetic/anti-ferromagnetic core/shell nanostructure system with uni-directional magnetic anisotropy that, in principle, provides maximal transverse magnetic flux amplification.

Nanomagnetic planar magnetic resonance microscopy "lens"

The achievement of three-dimensional atomic resolution magnetic resonance microscopy remains one of the main challenges in the visualization of biological molecules. The prospects for single spin microscopy have come tantalizingly close due to the recent developments in sensitive instrumentation. Despite the single spin detection capability in systems of spatially well-isolated spins, the challenge that remains is the creation of conditions in space where only a single spin is resonant and detected in the presence of other spins in its natural dense spin environment. We present a nanomagnetic planar design where a localized Angstrom-scale point in three-dimensional space is created above the nanostructure with a nonzero minimum of the magnetic field magnitude. The design thereby represents a magnetic resonance microscopy "lens" where potentially only a single spin located in the "focus" spot of the structure is resonant. Despite the presence of other spins in the Angstrom-scale vicinity of the resonant spin, the high gradient magnetic field of the "lens" renders those spins inactive in the detection process.