Site-specific Mössbauer evidence of structure-induced magnetic phase transition in fcc Fe(100) thin films

Creating a Ferromagnetic Ground State with Tc Above Room Temperature in a Paramagnetic Alloy through Non-Equilibrium Nanostructuring

Materials with strong magnetostructural coupling have complex energy landscapes featuring multiple local ground states, thus making it possible to switch among distinct magnetic-electronic properties. However, these energy minima are rarely accessible by a mere application of an external stimuli to the system in equilibrium state. A ferromagnetic ground state, with T_c above room temperature, can be created in an initially paramagnetic alloy by nonequilibrium nanostructuring. By a dealloying process, bulk chemically disordered FeRh alloys are transformed into a nanoporous structure with the topology of a few nanometer-sized ligaments and nodes. Magnetometry and Mössbauer spectroscopy reveal the coexistence of two magnetic ground states, a conventional low-temperature spin-glass and a hitherto-unknown robust ferromagnetic phase. The emergence of the ferromagnetic phase is validated by density functional theory calculations showing that local tetragonal distortion induced by surface stress favors ferromagnetic ordering. The study provides a means for reaching conventionally inaccessible magnetic states, resulting in a complete on/off ferromagnetic-paramagnetic switching over a broad temperature range.

Realizing high magnetic moments in fcc Fe nanoparticles through atomic structure stretch

We describe the realization of a high moment state in fcc Fe nanoparticles through a controlled change in their atomic structure. Embedding Fe nanoparticles in a Cu(1-x)Au(x) matrix causes their atomic structure to switch from bcc to fcc. Extended x-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) measurements show that the structure in both the matrix and the Fe nanoparticles expands as the amount of Au in the matrix is increased, with the data indicating a tetragonal stretch in the Fe nanoparticles. The samples were prepared directly from the gas phase by co-deposition, using a gas aggregation source and MBE-type sources respectively for the nanoparticle and matrix materials. The structure change in the Fe nanoparticles is accompanied by a sharp increase in atomic magnetic moment, ultimately to values of ~2.5 ± 0.3 μ(B)/atom .

Extended x-ray absorption fine structure studies of the atomic structure of nanoparticles in different metallic matrices

It has been appreciated for some time that the novel properties of particles in the size range 1-10 nm are potentially exploitable in a range of applications. In order to ultimately produce commercial devices containing nanosized particles, it is necessary to develop controllable means of incorporating them into macroscopic samples. One way of doing this is to embed the nanoparticles in a matrix of a different material, by co-deposition for example, to form a nanocomposite film. The atomic structure of the embedded particles can be strongly influenced by the matrix. Since some of the key properties of materials, including magnetism, strongly depend on atomic structure, the ability to determine atomic structure in embedded nanoparticles is very important. This review focuses on nanoparticles, in particular magnetic nanoparticles, embedded in different metal matrices. Extended x-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) provides an excellent means of probing atomic structure in nanocomposite materials, and an overview of this technique is given. Its application in probing catalytic metal clusters is described briefly, before giving an account of the use of EXAFS in determining atomic structure in magnetic nanocomposite films. In particular, we focus on cluster-assembled films comprised of Fe and Co nanosized particles embedded in various metal matrices, and show how the crystal structure of the particles can be changed by appropriate choice of the matrix material. The work discussed here demonstrates that combining the results of structural and magnetic measurements, as well as theoretical calculations, can play a significant part in tailoring the properties of new magnetic cluster-assembled materials.

Shear instability of gamma-Fe in bulk and in ultrathin films

Using ab initio local-spin-density calculations we demonstrate that along the Bain path describing the transformation of face-centered-cubic (fcc) gamma-Fe into body-centered-cubic (bcc) alpha-Fe, tetragonal Fe is unstable against monoclinic shear deformations producing a nearly bcc structure. In the limit of a monolayer adsorbed on a fcc substrate, the epitaxial constraint suppresses the shear instability, but in ultrathin films with three to six monolayers a striped pattern of near-bcc domains develops, confirming recent observations by scanning tunneling microscopy. A strong correlation between the shear instability and the magnetic state is reported.

Theoretical calculation of magnetic properties of ultrathin Fe films on Cu(100)

The temperature dependence of the magnetization in fcc Fe on Cu(100) is calculated using a self-consistent local mean-field theory. The model reproduces an experimental magnetization oscillation as a function of film thickness and supports a picture where the top two layers are ferromagnetically coupled, and the remaining layers are antiferromagnetically coupled. The origin of the puzzling linear temperature dependence in oscillation amplitude is understood as a "surface phenomena" of the antiferromagnetic layer at the Fe/Cu interface. Proximity effects between a thin antiferromagnet with a low Neel temperature and a neighboring ferromagnet with a higher Curie temperature are discussed.