Nanoscale characterisation and magnetic properties of Co81Cu19/Cu multilayer nanowires

Zhang, J; Ma, H; Zhang, S; Zhang, H; Deng, X; Lan, Q; Xue, D; Bai, F; Mellors, NJ; Peng, Y

Abstract

Bamboo-like CoCu/Cu multilayer nanowires have been successfully fabricated into anodic aluminium oxide templates using an electrodeposition method, and their chemistry and crystal structure have been characterised at the nanoscale. Energy-dispersive X-ray analysis indicated that the chemical composition of the regular periodic CoCu/Cu nanowires was Co81Cu19/Cu. Diffraction analysis revealed that Cu layers and Co-rich layers exhibited polycrystalline fcc structures. A twin relationship of Cu layer {111} planes stacking on Co81Cu19 layer {111} planes was observed at the lattice-resolution level. The magnetic properties analysed by experimental and theoretical simulations showed that there was a transition from a curling rotation mode to coherent rotation mode in our Co81Cu19/Cu multilayer nanowires when the angle between external field and nanowire length axis increased from 0° to 90°. This study highlights the basic morphological, chemical, structural information and magnetic reversal mechanism of CoCu/Cu nanowires, which are critical for the applications of multilayer nanowires in nanoscale sensors and electronics.

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Oct 14, 2014
• Online Publication Date: Oct 20, 2014
• Publication Date: Oct 20, 2014
• Deposit Date: Apr 29, 2015
• Journal: J. Mater. Chem. C
• Print ISSN: 2050-7526
• Publisher: Royal Society of Chemistry
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 3
• Issue: 1
• Pages: 85-93
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1039/C4TC01510J
• Publisher URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1039/C4TC01510J
• Additional Information: Funders : Funder not known