Magnetization reversal of ferromagnetic nanowires studied by magnetic force microscopy

The magnetization reversal of two-dimensional arrays of parallel ferromagnetic Fe nanowires embedded in nanoporous alumina templates has been studied. By combining bulk magnetization measurements (superconducting quantum interference device magnetometry) with field-dependent magnetic force microscopy (MFM), we have been able to decompose the macroscopic hysteresis loop in terms of the irreversible magnetic responses of individual nanowires. The latter are found to behave as monodomain ferromagnetic needles, with hysteresis loops displaced (asymmetric) as a consequence of the strong dipolar interactions between them. The application of field-dependent MFM provides a microscopic method to obtain the hysteresis curve of the array, by simply registering the fraction of up and down magnetized wires as a function of applied field. The observed deviations from the rectangular shape of the macroscopic hysteresis loop of the array can be ascribed to the spatial variation of the dipolar field through the inhomogeneously filled membrane. The system studied proves to be an excellent example of the two-dimensional classical Preisach model, well known from the field of hysteresis modeling and micromagnetism.This work was part of the research program of the Stichting voor Fundamenteel Onderzoek der Materie (FOM), which is supported by the Nederlandse Organisatie voor Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek (NOW). C.U. and F.L. acknowledge grants funded by the European Union in the framework of its TMR Marie Curie Program. M.K. acknowledges a grant funded by Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG)

Structuring from nanoparticles in oil-based ferrofluids

The effect of magnetic field on the structure formation in an oil-based magnetic fluid with various concentrations of magnetite particles was studied. The evaluation of the experimental data obtained from small-angle X-ray scattering and ultrasonic attenuation indicates the formation of chain-like aggregates composed of magnetite particles. The experimental data obtained from ultrasonic spectroscopy fit well with the recent theoretical model by Shliomis, Mond and Morozov but only for a diluted magnetic fluid. In this model it is assumed that a dimer is the main building block of a B-field-induced chain-like structure, thus the estimation of the nematic order parameter does not depend on the actual length of the structure. The scattering method used reveals information about the aggregated structure size and relative changes in the degree of anisotropy in qualitative terms. The coupling constant lambda, concentrations phi, average particle size d and its polydispersity sigma were initially obtained using the vibrating sample magnetometry and these results were further confirmed by rheometry and scattering methods. Both the particles' orientational distribution and the nematic order parameter S were inferred from the ultrasonic measurements. The investigation of SAXS patterns reveals the orientation and sizes of aggregated structures under application of different magnetic-field strengths. In addition, the magnetic-field-dependent yield stress was measured, and a relationship between the yield stress and magnetic-field strength up to 0.5T was established.<p> </p><p>© The Author(s) 2011. This article is published with open access at Springerlink.com</p