7 research outputs found
Modelling exchange bias in core/shell nanoparticles
We present an atomistic model of a single nanoparticle with core/shell
structure that takes into account its lattice strucutre and spherical geometry,
and in which the values of microscopic parameters such as anisotropy and
exchange constants can be tuned in the core, shell and interfacial regions. By
means of Monte Carlo simulations of the hysteresis loops based on this model,
we have determined the range of microscopic parameters for which loop shifts
after field cooling can be observed. The study of the magnetic order of the
interfacial spins for different particles sizes and values of the interfacial
exchange coupling have allowed us to correlate the appearance of loop
asymmetries and vertical displacements to the existence of a fraction of
uncompensated spins at the shell interface that remain pinned during field
cycling, offering new insight on the microscopic origin of the experimental
phenomenology.Comment: 7 pages, 3 figures. Contribution presented at HMM 2007 held at Napoli
4-6 June 2007. To be published in J. Phys. Condens. Matte
Surfactant effects in monodisperse magnetite nanoparticles of controlled size
Monodisperse magnetite Fe3O4 nanoparticles of controlled size within 6 and 20
nm in diameter were synthesized by thermal decomposition of an iron organic
precursor in an organic medium. Particles were coated with oleic acid. For all
samples studied, saturation magnetization Ms reaches the expected value for
bulk magnetite, in contrast to results in small particle systems for which Ms
is usually much smaller due to surface spin disorder. The coercive field for
the 6 nm particles is also similar to that of bulk magnetite. Both results
suggest that the oleic acid molecules covalently bonded to the nanoparticle
surface yield a strong reduction in the surface spin disorder. However,
although the saturated state may be similar, the approach to saturation is
different and, in particular, the high-field differential susceptibility is one
order of magnitude larger than in bulk materials. The relevance of these
results in biomedical applications is discussed.Comment: 3 pages, 3 figures. Presented at JEMS 2006 (San Sebastian, Spain).
Submitted to JMM
Surfactant effects in magnetite nanoparticles of controlled size
Abstract Magnetite Fe 3 O 4 nanoparticles of controlled size within 6 and 20 nm in diameter were synthesised by thermal decomposition of an iron organic precursor in an organic medium. Particles were coated with oleic acid. For all samples studied, saturation magnetisation M s is size-independent, and reaches a value close to that expected for bulk magnetite, in contrast to results in small particle systems for which M s is usually much smaller due to surface spin disorder. The coercive field for the 6 nm particles is in agreement with coherent rotation, taking the bulk magnetocrystalline anisotropy into account. Both results suggest that the oleic acid molecules covalently bonded to the nanoparticle surface yield a strong reduction in the surface spin disorder. However, although the saturated state may be similar, the approach to saturation is different and, in particular, the high-field differential susceptibility is one order of magnitude larger than in bulk materials. The relevance of these results in biomedical applications is discussed.
Normalization factors for magnetic relaxation of small particle systems in non-zero magnetic field
We critically discuss relaxation experiments in magnetic systems that can be
characterized in terms of an energy barrier distribution, showing that proper
normalization of the relaxation data is needed whenever curves corresponding to
different temperatures are to be compared. We show how these normalization
factors can be obtained from experimental data by using the
scaling method without making any assumptions about the nature of the energy
barrier distribution. The validity of the procedure is tested using a
ferrofluid of Fe_3O_4 particles.Comment: 5 pages, 6 eps figures added in April 22, to be published in Phys.
Rev. B 55 (1 April 1997
Erasing the glassy state in magnetic fine particles
BaFe10.4Co0.8Ti0.8O19 magnetic fine particles exhibit most of the features attributed to glassy behavior, e.g., irreversibility in the hysteresis loops and in the zero-field-cooling and field-cooling curves extends up to very high fields, and aging and magnetic training phenomena occur. However, the multivalley energy structure of the glassy state can be strongly modified by a field-cooling process at a moderate field. Slow relaxation experiments demonstrate that the intrinsic energy barriers of the individual particles dominate the behavior of the system at high cooling fields, while the energy states corresponding to collective glassy behavior play the dominant role at low cooling fields