Exchange-bias and magnetic anisotropy fields in core-shell ferrite nanoparticles.

Exchange bias properties of MnFe[Formula: see text]O[Formula: see text]@[Formula: see text]-Fe[Formula: see text]O[Formula: see text] core-shell nanoparticles are investigated. The measured field and temperature dependencies of the magnetization point out a well-ordered ferrimagnetic core surrounded by a layer with spin glass-like arrangement. Quasi-static SQUID magnetization measurements are presented along with high-amplitude pulse ones and are cross-analyzed by comparison against ferromagnetic resonance experiments at 9 GHz. These measurements allow one to discern three types of magnetic anisotropies affecting the dynamics of the magnetic moment of the well-ordered ferrimagnetic NP's core viz. the easy-axis (uniaxial) anisotropy, the unidirectional exchange-bias anisotropy and the rotatable anisotropy. The uniaxial anisotropy originates from the structural core-shell interface. The unidirectional exchange-bias anisotropy is associated with the spin-coupling at the ferrimagnetic/spin glass-like interface; it is observable only at low temperatures after a field-cooling process. The rotatable anisotropy is caused by partially-pinned spins at the core/shell interface; it manifests itself as an intrinsic field always parallel to the external applied magnetic field. The whole set of experimental results is interpreted in the framework of superparamagnetic theory, i.e., essentially taking into account the effect of thermal fluctuations on the magnetic moment of the particle core. In particular, it is found that the rotatable anisotropy of our system is of a uniaxial type.

Structural, microstructural and magnetic characterization of the ß-CoTe nanophase synthesized by a novel mechanochemical method.

This work reports an unprecedented mechanochemistry synthesis of ß-CoTe and its systematic characterization through X-ray powder diffraction (XRPD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and magnetometry techniques. The mechanical alloying produced the desired material within 6 h along with minor impurities, showing good stabilization for higher milling times (15 h) and long-term storage. XRPD characterization employed the Rietveld profile fitting analysis with fundamental parameters analysis in a direct convolution approach, giving the material's structure and microstructure information. For the spherical shape, the diameter mass average of the crystallites furnished values around 13 nm with 1.1% of microstrain. The double-Voigt procedure also modeled a triaxial ellipsoid shape for the crystallite size and obtained a surface-weighted average value for its volume around 150 nm3. TEM images confirmed the nanometric size visually and showed the crystallites to aggregate in large particles hundreds of nanometers in size. Measuring hundreds of supposed crystallite sizes, we could achieve a numerical distribution of their sizes with an average of 16 nm. The magnetization analysis performed both experimentally and via numerical simulations showed that ß-CoTe is predominantly superparamagnetic with a magnetic domain size compatible with the double-Voigt one.

Structure, microstructure and magnetic investigation of the hexagonal δ-FeSe nanophase produced by mechanochemical synthesis.

We present a systematic structural, microstructural and magnetic characterization of the hexagonal δ-FeSe nanophase produced by a simple one-step mechanochemical synthesis route, by using conventional X-ray powder diffraction (XRPD), Rietveld refinement, transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and magnetometry techniques. We observed the simultaneous formation of tetragonal ß-FeSe and δ-FeSe after 3 h of milling (with minor amounts of unreacted iron), followed by complete ß-FeSe → δ-FeSe phase transition as milling time increases to 6 h (no unreacted iron). The average crystallite size of the δ-FeSe phase of about 16 nm after 3 h milling time decreases by about 31% up to the final milling time (24 h). TEM images and electron diffraction patterns confirm the nanometric size of the crystalline domains in the irregularly-shaped agglomerated particles. Two ferromagnetic phases with distinct coercivity spectra were assumed here by considering an assembly of randomly-oriented weakly-anisotropic ferromagnetic particles, mixed at a 4 to 6 volume ratio with other randomly-oriented ferromagnetic grains. Four years after synthesis, the aged samples milled for less than 9 h revealed a certain amount of the ß-FeSe phase that slightly affects the δ-FeSe (micro)structure but causes some variations (decreasing) in magnetic parameters. Milling times as long as 12 h were shown to be necessary to guarantee the δ-FeSe nanophase stability and to retain its magnetic properties over time.

Misaligned anisotropies in spin-valve films studied through magnetoresistance and magnetization measurements.

Magnetization and magnetoresistance properties of Py/Cu/Py/IrMn spin valve (SV) films are studied in the framework of the modified antiferromagnetic domain-wall model applied to a granular multidomain system. In the simulations, a misalignment between the in-plane easy magnetization axes of the Py and IrMn is considered. Magnetization and magnetoresistance data are simulated for a number of field orientations and a fairly good agreement with the experiment is found. The same holds for the respective distributions of the coercive and exchange-bias field values determined from magnetoresistance first-order reversal curves (MR-FORC) obtained for magnetic field parallel to the direction of that applied during the sample deposition. Both experimental and theoretical data of the angular variations of the magnetoresistance at constant fields are successfully used to obtain the misalignment angles. For some samples, mostly those with thinner Py layer coupled to IrMn one, our results indicate that the misalignment is due to interfacial magnetic frustration. Moreover, it is shown that MR-FORC diagrams are useful to extract information about the alignment of the grains along the field-cooling directions in SVs, as well as that these can be used to determine the threshold of the continuity of the pinned magnetic layer.

Magnetic interactions in exchange-coupled yet unbiased IrMn/NiCu bilayers.

This paper reports experimental and model magnetization results obtained on exchange-coupled ferromagnet/antiferromagnet (FM/AF) bilayers that show zero net bias. The coercivity of the films, either irradiated with He or implanted with Ge ions at 40 keV, varies significantly with the fluence used. We employed the remanence plots technique in order to estimate the nature of the interactions present and check if there exists a correlation between their type and the coercivity variations. The analysis of the remanence plots through numerical simulations based on the Landau-Lifshitz-Gilbert equation demonstrated that outcomes of interactions within the FM layer could be distinguished from those coming from coupling at the FM/AF interface and that demagnetizing interaction effects could be achieved without the presence of dipolar interactions. Our findings indicate that such experiments could give selective information on modifications caused by a post-deposition treatment in each layer of the film.

A polycrystalline model for magnetic exchange bias.

This work introduces a realistic model for the magnetic behavior of polycrystalline ferromagnet/antiferromagnet (FM/AF) systems with granular interfaces. It considers that, for strong enough interface exchange coupling, the AF layer breaks the adjacent FM into small-sized domains and that at the interface there exist grains with uncompensated spins interacting with the FM magnetizations; the classification of these grains as unstable (rotatable, responsible for a coercivity enhancement) or stable (adding to the bias) depends on both the anisotropy and the magnetic coupling with the adjacent FM. The distinctive characteristic of the model is that the effective rotatable anisotropy changes when the external magnetic field is varied resulting in a non-zero hard-axis coercivity, a feature commonly observed, though little understood and often ignored. The applicability of this model was checked on a typical magnetron-sputtered IrMn/Co bilayer and excellent agreement between experiment and simulation was achieved.

Athermal training due to exchange and dipolar coupling within a granular model for exchange bias.

Athermal training effects in static magnetization curves of exchange-coupled systems have been obtained within a model for polycrystalline antiferromagnetic/ferromagnetic bilayers with a granular interface. Together with parallel coupling between each ferromagnetic grain and stable interface grains that sit underneath it, magnetic exchange and/or dipolar interactions between neighboring stable and partially stable interface grains have been considered. Using realistic anisotropy and coupling parameters in the simulations, training effects have been obtained regardless of the anisotropy type (uniaxial or biaxial) of the interface grains with uncompensated spins. The partial recovery of training effects after application of strong magnetic fields or a change of the sign of the exchange-bias field after training experimentally observed by some authors has been naturally achieved in the framework of the present model.

Comment on 'Particle size dependent exchange bias and cluster-glass states in LaMn(0.7)Fe(0.3)O(3) '.

Thakur et al (2008 J. Phys.: Condens. Matter 20 195215) have recently reported magnetization hysteresis loops shifted along the field axis of the cluster-glass compound LaMn(0.7)Fe(0.3)O(3), attributed there to exchange bias induced at ferromagnetic/spin-glass-like interfaces. The present comment affirms that their results are insufficient for assigning the phenomenon solely to exchange bias since the corresponding field shift, if any, cannot be separated from that of a minor hysteresis loop of a ferromagnet, naturally displaced from the origin.