Enhanced magnetic properties in ZnCoAlO caused by exchange-coupling to Co nanoparticles

Qi Feng; Wala Dizayee; Xiaoli Li; David S Score; James R Neal; Anthony J Behan; Abbas Mokhtari; Marzook S Alshammari; Mohammed S Al-Qahtani; Harry J Blythe; Roy W Chantrell; Steve M Heald; Xiao-Hong Xu; A Mark Fox; Gillian A Gehring

doi:10.1088/1367-2630/18/11/113040

New Journal of Physics (Jan 2016)

Enhanced magnetic properties in ZnCoAlO caused by exchange-coupling to Co nanoparticles

Qi Feng,
Wala Dizayee,
Xiaoli Li,
David S Score,
James R Neal,
Anthony J Behan,
Abbas Mokhtari,
Marzook S Alshammari,
Mohammed S Al-Qahtani,
Harry J Blythe,
Roy W Chantrell,
Steve M Heald,
Xiao-Hong Xu,
A Mark Fox,
Gillian A Gehring

Affiliations

Qi Feng: Department of Physics and Astronomy, The University of Sheffield , S3 7RH, UK; SKLSM, Institute of Semiconductors, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100083, People’s Republic of China; Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, People’s Republic of China
Wala Dizayee: Department of Physics and Astronomy, The University of Sheffield , S3 7RH, UK
Xiaoli Li: Department of Physics and Astronomy, The University of Sheffield , S3 7RH, UK; Key Laboratory of Magnetic Molecules and Magnetic Information Materials of Ministry of Education and School of Chemistry and Materials Science, Shanxi Normal University , Linfen 041004, People’s Republic of China
David S Score: Department of Physics and Astronomy, The University of Sheffield , S3 7RH, UK
James R Neal: Department of Physics and Astronomy, The University of Sheffield , S3 7RH, UK
Anthony J Behan: Department of Physics and Astronomy, The University of Sheffield , S3 7RH, UK
Abbas Mokhtari: Department of Physics and Astronomy, The University of Sheffield , S3 7RH, UK; Department of Physics, Islamic Azad University Arak Branch , Arak, Iran
Marzook S Alshammari: Department of Physics and Astronomy, The University of Sheffield , S3 7RH, UK; The National Centre of Nanotechnology, Materials Science Institute, King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology, PO Box 6086, Riyadh 11442, Saudi Arabia
Mohammed S Al-Qahtani: Department of Physics and Astronomy, The University of Sheffield , S3 7RH, UK; Department of Physics and Astronomy, College of Science, King Saud University , PO Box 2455, Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia
Harry J Blythe: Department of Physics and Astronomy, The University of Sheffield , S3 7RH, UK
Roy W Chantrell: Department of Physics, The University of York , York, YO10 5DD, UK
Steve M Heald: Advanced Photon Source, Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne, IL, 60429, USA
Xiao-Hong Xu: Key Laboratory of Magnetic Molecules and Magnetic Information Materials of Ministry of Education and School of Chemistry and Materials Science, Shanxi Normal University , Linfen 041004, People’s Republic of China
A Mark Fox: Department of Physics and Astronomy, The University of Sheffield , S3 7RH, UK
Gillian A Gehring: Department of Physics and Astronomy, The University of Sheffield , S3 7RH, UK

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1088/1367-2630/18/11/113040
Journal volume & issue: Vol. 18, no. 11
p. 113040

Abstract

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We report the results of a sequence of magnetisation and magneto-optical studies on laser ablated thin films of ZnCoAlO and ZnCoO that contain a small amount of metallic cobalt. The results are compared to those expected when all the magnetization is due to isolated metallic clusters of cobalt and with an oxide sample that is almost free from metallic inclusions. Using a variety of direct magnetic measurements and also magnetic circular dichroism we find that there is ferromagnetism within both the oxide and the metallic inclusions, and furthermore that these magnetic components are exchange-coupled when aluminium is included. This enhances both the coercive field and the remanence. Hence the presence of a controlled quantity of metallic nanoparticles in ZnAlO can improve the magnetic response of the oxide, thus giving great advantages for applications in spintronics.

Published in New Journal of Physics

ISSN: 1367-2630 (Online)
Publisher: IOP Publishing
Country of publisher: United Kingdom
LCC subjects: Science: Physics
Website: https://iopscience.iop.org/journal/1367-2630

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