Control of Magnetic Shape Anisotropy by Nanopillar Dimensionality in Vertically Aligned Nanocomposites.

Perpendicular magnetic anisotropy forms the foundation of the current data storage technology. However, there is an ever-increasing demand for higher density data storage, faster read-write access times, and lower power consuming storage devices, which requires new materials to reduce the switching current, improve bit-to-bit distributions, and improve reliability of writing with scalability below 10 nm. Here, vertically aligned nanocomposites (VANs) composed of self-assembled ferromagnetic La0.7Sr0.3MnO3 (LSMO) nanopillars in a surrounding ZnO matrix are investigated for controllable magnetic anisotropy. Confinement of LSMO into nanopillar dimensions down to 15 nm in such VAN films aligns the magnetic easy axis along the out-of-plane (i.e., perpendicular) direction, in strong contrast to the typical in-plane easy axis for strained, phase pure LSMO thin films. The dominant contribution to the magnetic anisotropy in these (LSMO)0.1(ZnO)0.9 VAN films comes from the shape of the nanopillars, while the epitaxial strain at the vertical LSMO:ZnO interfaces exhibits a negligible effect. These VAN films with their large, out-of-plane remnant magnetization of 2.6 µB/Mn and bit density of 0.77 Tbits/inch2 offer an interesting strategy for enhanced data storage applications.

A compact permanent magnet for microflow NMR relaxometry.

We design and demonstrate a compact, robust, and simple to assemble and tune permanent magnet suitable for NMR relaxometry measurements of microfluidic flows. Soft-magnetic stainless-steel plates, incorporated inside the magnet airgap, are key for obtaining substantially improved and tunable field homogeneity. The design is scalable for different NMR probe sizes with the region of suitable field homogeneity, less than 200 ppm, achievable in a capillary length of about 50 % of the total magnet length. The built physical prototype, having 3.5x3.5x8.0 cm3 in size and 5 mm high airgap, provides a field strength of 0.5 T and sufficient field homogeneity for NMR relaxometry measurements in capillaries up to 1.6 mm i.d. and 20 mm long. The magnet was used for test flow rate measurements in a wide range, from 0.001 ml/min to 20 ml/min.

Anisotropic and Controllable Gilbert-Bloch Dissipation in Spin Valves.

Spin valves form a key building block in a wide range of spintronic concepts and devices from magnetoresistive read heads to spin-transfer-torque oscillators. We elucidate the dependence of the magnetic damping in the free layer on the angle its equilibrium magnetization makes with that in the fixed layer. The spin pumping-mediated damping is anisotropic and tensorial, with Gilbert- and Bloch-like terms. Our investigation reveals a mechanism for tuning the free layer damping in situ from negligible to a large value via the orientation of fixed layer magnetization, especially when the magnets are electrically insulating. Furthermore, we expect the Bloch contribution that emerges from the longitudinal spin accumulation in the nonmagnetic spacer to play an important role in a wide range of other phenomena in spin valves.

Magnetic Hysteresis in Nanostructures with Thermally Controlled RKKY Coupling.

Mechanisms of the recently demonstrated ex-situ thermal control of the indirect exchange coupling in magnetic multilayer are discussed for different designs of the spacer layer. Temperature-induced changes in the hysteresis of magnetization are shown to be associated with different types of competing interlayer exchange interactions. Theoretical analysis indicates that the measured step-like shape and hysteresis of the magnetization loops is due to local in-plane magnetic anisotropy of nano-crystallites within the strongly ferromagnetic films. Comparison of the experiment and theory is used to contrast the mechanisms of the magnetization switching based on the competition of (i) indirect (RKKY) and direct (non-RKKY) interlayer exchange interactions as well as (ii) indirect ferromagnetic and indirect antiferromagnetic (both of RKKY type) interlayer exchange. These results, detailing the rich magnetic phase space of the system, should help enable the practical use of RKKY for thermally switching the magnetization in magnetic multilayers.

Profound Interfacial Effects in CoFe2O4/Fe3O4 and Fe3O4/CoFe2O4 Core/Shell Nanoparticles.

Two sets of core/shell magnetic nanoparticles, CoFe2O4/Fe3O4 and Fe3O4/CoFe2O4, with a fixed diameter of the core (~ 4.1 and ~ 6.3 nm for the former and latter sets, respectively) and thickness of shells up to 2.5 nm were synthesized from metal chlorides in a diethylene glycol solution. The nanoparticles were characterized by X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, and magnetic measurements. The analysis of the results of magnetic measurements shows that coating of magnetic nanoparticles with the shells results in two simultaneous effects: first, it modifies the parameters of the core-shell interface, and second, it makes the particles acquire combined features of the core and the shell. The first effect becomes especially prominent when the parameters of core and shell strongly differ from each other. The results obtained are useful for optimizing and tailoring the parameters of core/shell spinel ferrite magnetic nanoparticles for their use in various technological and biomedical applications.