We present magnetic measurements on iron ( Fe ) nanoparticles in the size range 10–30 nm produced by the Inert Gas Condensation process (IGC). Structural characterization studies show the presence of a core/shell structure, where the core is bcc Fe while the surface layer is Fe -oxide. Analysis of the magnetic measurements shows that the nanoparticles display very large uniaxial anisotropy, K eff ≈3 - 4 × 106 erg/cc. The observed room temperature coercivities lie in the range ≈600 – 973 Oe , much larger than those expected from the Stoner–Wohlfarth model using the bulk iron anisotropy. It can be inferred from the coercivity variation with the particle size that there is a general trend of the coercivity increasing with size, culminating finally in a decrease for high sizes (30 nm) possibly due to the onset of non-coherent magnetization reversal processes.
Structure and magnetic properties of Co-W clusters produced by inert gas condensation
