ABSTRACT
The non-equilibrium dynamics of the superspin glass state of a dense assembly of ~ 2 nm MnFe2O4 nanoparticles was investigated by means of magnetization, ac susceptibility and Mössbauer spectroscopy measurements and compared to the results of Monte Carlo simulations for a mesoscopic model that includes particles morphology and interparticle interactions. The zero-field cooled (ZFC), thermoremanent (TRM), and isothermal remanent magnetization (IRM) were recorded after specific cooling protocols and compared to those of archetypal spin glasses and their dimensionality. The system is found to display glassy magnetic features. We illustrate in detail, by a number of experiments, the dynamical properties of the low-temperature superspin glass phase. We observe that these glassy features are quite similar to those of atomic spin glasses. Some differences are observed, and interestingly, the non-atomic nature of the superspin glass is also reflected by an observed superspin dimensionality crossover. Monte Carlo simulations-that explicitly take into account core and surface contributions to the magnetic properties of these ultrasmall nanoparticles in direct contact, as well as interparticle interactions-evidence effects of the interplay between (intraparticle) core/surface exchange coupling and (interparticle) dipolar and exchange interactions.
ABSTRACT
The synthesis strategy and magnetic characterisation of two systems consisting of nanoparticles with core/shell morphology are presented: an assembly of hard/soft nanoparticles with cores consisting of magnetically hard cobalt ferrite covered by a magnetically soft nickel ferrite shell, and the inverse system of almost the same size and shape. We have successfully designed these nanoparticle systems by gradually varying the magnetic anisotropy resulting in this way in the modulation of the magnetic dipolar interactions between particles. Both nanoparticle systems exhibit high saturation magnetisation and display superparamagnetic behaviour at room temperature. We have shown strong exchange coupling at the core/shell interface of these nanoparticles systems which was also confirmed by mesoscopic modelling. Our results demonstrate the possibility of modulating magnetic anisotropy not only by chemical composition but also by adopting the proper nano-architecture.
ABSTRACT
In nanoparticle systems consisting of two magnetic materials (bi-magnetic nanoparticles or nanoparticles embedded in a magnetic matrix), there is a constantly growing interest in the investigation of the interplay between interparticle interactions and the nanoparticle-matrix interface exchange coupling, because of its enormous impact on a number of technological applications. The understanding of the mechanisms of such interplay is a great challenge, as it would allow controlling equilibrium and non-equilibrium magnetization dynamics of exchange coupled nanoparticles systems and finely tuning their anisotropy. Here, we provide evidence that this interplay leads to a collective superspin glass (SSG) behavior in a system of diluted ferromagnetic (FM) nanoparticles embedded in an antiferromagnetic (AFM) matrix (5% volume fraction of Co particles in Mn film matrix). We have developed a novel mesoscopic model to study the influence of interparticle interaction on the exchange bias (EB) and the dynamical behavior of assemblies of FM nanoparticles embedded in a granular AFM matrix. Our mesoscopic model is based on reducing the amount of simulated spins to the minimum number necessary to describe the magnetic structure of the system and introducing the adequate exchange parameters between the different spins. The model replicates remarkably well the observed static and dynamical SSG properties as well as the EB behavior. In addition, the proposed model well explains the role of the significant Co/Mn alloying and of the granularity of the matrix in mediating interparticle interactions through exchange and dipole-dipole coupling between the uncompensated moments of its grains and the exchange interaction at the Co/Mn interface.
ABSTRACT
An unusual stepwise behaviour is reported in the temperature dependence of the zero field cooled magnetization in iron nanoparticle dense films produced by ultra-short pulsed laser deposition assisted by irradiation of nanoparticles with a nanosecond UV laser pulse, appropriately delayed, during their flight from the target to the substrate. This behaviour, induced by the particle system's morphology, characterized by clusters of tightly coupled nanoparticles as well as by some voids between them, is ascribed to the competition between Zeeman energy density, intracluster anisotropy energy density and intercluster exchange energy density. A phenomenological model and Monte Carlo simulations are reported, which support the proposed interpretation.
ABSTRACT
A mesoscopic approach to simulate large arrays of core/shell nanoparticles based on the reduction of the number of simulated spins is presented. The model is used to simulate arrays of Co/CoO nanoparticles with different nanoparticle densities.
