All-Solid-State Magnetic Properties Tuning Device Achieved by Redox Reaction of Fe<sub>3</sub>O<sub>4</sub> Thin Film

The high resolution neutron/ X-ray contrast reflectometer NREX, operated by the Max Planck Institute for Solid State Research, is designed for the determination of structural and magnetic properties of surfaces, interfaces, and thin film systems.

Download Full-text

Effect of the Substrate Crystallinity on Morphological and Magnetic Properties of Fe70Pd30 Nanoparticles Obtained by the Solid-State Dewetting

Sensors ◽

10.3390/s21217420 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 21 (21) ◽

pp. 7420

Author(s):

Gabriele Barrera ◽

Federica Celegato ◽

Matteo Cialone ◽

Marco Coïsson ◽

Paola Rizzi ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Thin Film ◽

Magnetic Properties ◽

Solid State ◽

Magnetic Materials ◽

Low Cost ◽

Chemical Properties ◽

Hysteresis Loops ◽

Morphological Transformation ◽

Dewetting Process ◽

Average Size

Advances in nanofabrication techniques are undoubtedly needed to obtain nanostructured magnetic materials with physical and chemical properties matching the pressing and relentless technological demands of sensors. Solid-state dewetting is known to be a low-cost and “top-down” nanofabrication technique able to induce a controlled morphological transformation of a continuous thin film into an ordered nanoparticle array. Here, magnetic Fe70Pd30 thin film with 30 nm thickness is deposited by the co-sputtering technique on a monocrystalline (MgO) or amorphous (Si3N4) substrate and, subsequently, annealed to promote the dewetting process. The different substrate properties are able to tune the activation thermal energy of the dewetting process, which can be tuned by depositing on substrates with different microstructures. In this way, it is possible to tailor the final morphology of FePd nanoparticles as observed by advanced microscopy techniques (SEM and AFM). The average size and height of the nanoparticles are in the ranges 150–300 nm and 150–200 nm, respectively. Moreover, the induced spatial confinement of magnetic materials in almost-spherical nanoparticles strongly affects the magnetic properties as observed by in-plane and out-of-plane hysteresis loops. Magnetization reversal in dewetted FePd nanoparticles is mainly characterized by a rotational mechanism leading to a slower approach to saturation and smaller value of the magnetic susceptibility than the as-deposited thin film.

Download Full-text

High-yield fabrication of perpendicularly magnetised synthetic antiferromagnetic nanodiscs

Nano Research ◽

10.1007/s12274-021-3307-1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Emma N. Welbourne ◽

Tarun Vemulkar ◽

Russell P. Cowburn

Keyword(s):

Thin Film ◽

Magnetic Properties ◽

Sacrificial Layer ◽

Nanosphere Lithography ◽

High Yield ◽

Perpendicular Anisotropy ◽

Ion Milling ◽

Lift Off

AbstractSynthetic antiferromagnetic (SAF) particles with perpendicular anisotropy display a number of desirable characteristics for applications in biological and other fluid environments. We present an efficient and effective method for the patterning of ultrathin Ruderman-Kittel-Kasuya-Yoshida coupled, perpendicularly magnetised SAFs using a combination of nanosphere lithography and ion milling. A Ge sacrificial layer is utilised, which provides a clean and simple lift-off process, as well as maintaining the key magnetic properties that are beneficial to target applications. We demonstrate that the method is capable of producing a particularly high yield of well-defined, thin film based nanoparticles.

Download Full-text

Solid State NMR Spectroscopy a Valuable Technique for Structural Insights of Advanced Thin Film Materials: A Review

Nanomaterials ◽

10.3390/nano11061494 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (6) ◽

pp. 1494

Author(s):

Mustapha El Hariri El Nokab ◽

Khaled O. Sebakhy

Keyword(s):

Thin Film ◽

Thin Films ◽

Solid State ◽

Solid State Nmr ◽

Pulse Sequences ◽

3D Structure ◽

Spectroscopic Techniques ◽

Film Research ◽

Versatile Technique ◽

Work Done

Solid-state NMR has proven to be a versatile technique for studying the chemical structure, 3D structure and dynamics of all sorts of chemical compounds. In nanotechnology and particularly in thin films, the study of chemical modification, molecular packing, end chain motion, distance determination and solvent-matrix interactions is essential for controlling the final product properties and applications. Despite its atomic-level research capabilities and recent technical advancements, solid-state NMR is still lacking behind other spectroscopic techniques in the field of thin films due to the underestimation of NMR capabilities, availability, great variety of nuclei and pulse sequences, lack of sensitivity for quadrupole nuclei and time-consuming experiments. This article will comprehensively and critically review the work done by solid-state NMR on different types of thin films and the most advanced NMR strategies, which are beyond conventional, and the hardware design used to overcome the technical issues in thin-film research.

Download Full-text