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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 253 records · Page 14
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2014

Tuning exchange bias in Fe/γ-Fe{sub 2}O{sub 3} core-shell nanoparticles: Impacts of interface and surface spins

A comparative study has been performed of the exchange bias (EB) effect in Fe/γ-Fe{sub 2}O{sub 3} core-shell nanoparticles with the same thickness of the γ-Fe{sub 2}O{sub 3} shell (∼2 nm) and the diameter of the Fe core varying from 4 nm to 11 nm. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and high-resolution TEM confirmed the high quality of the core-shell nanostructures. A systematic analysis of magnetization versus magnetic field measurements under zero-field-cooled and field-cooled regimes using the Meiklejohn-Bean model and deconvoluting superparamagnetic and paramagnetic contribution to the total magnetic moment Langevin function shows that there exists a critical particle size (∼10 nm), above which the spins at the interface between Fe and γ-Fe{sub 2}O{sub 3} contribute primarily to the EB, but below which the surface spin effect is dominant. Our finding yields deeper insight into the collective contributions of interface and surface spins to the EB in core-shell nanoparticle systems, knowledge of which is the key to manipulating EB in magnetic nanostructures for spintronics applications.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2014

Effect of ball milling and dynamic compaction on magnetic properties of Al{sub 2}O{sub 3}/Co(P) composite particles

The evolution of the magnetic properties of composite Al{sub 2}O{sub 3}/Co(P) particles during ball milling and dynamic compaction is investigated. To prepare starting composite particles, the Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} granules were coated with a Co{sub 95}P{sub 5} shell by electroless plating. The magnetic and structural properties of the composite particles are characterized by scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and the use of the Physical Property Measurement System. The use of composite core-shell particles as starting powder for mechanoactivation allows to decrease treatment duration to 1 h and to produce a more homogeneous bulk sample than in the case of the mixture of Co and Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} powders. The magnetic properties of the milled composite particles are correlated with changes in the microstructure. Reduction in grain size of Co during milling leads to an increase of the volume fraction of superparamagnetic particles and to a decrease of the saturation magnetization. The local magnetic anisotropy field depends on the amount of hcp-Co phase in sample. The anisotropy field value decreases from 8.4 kOe to 3.8 kOe with an increase in milling duration up to 75 min. The regimes of dynamic compaction were selected so that the magnetic characteristics—saturation magnetization and coercive field—remained unchanged.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2014

Magnetic field role on the structure and optical response of photonic crystals based on ferrofluids containing Co{sub 0.25}Zn{sub 0.75}Fe{sub 2}O{sub 4} nanoparticles

Ferrofluids based on magnetic Co{sub 0.25}Zn{sub 0.75}Fe{sub 2}O{sub 4} ferrite nanoparticles were prepared by co-precipitation method from aqueous salt solutions of Co (II), ZnSO{sub 4}, and Fe (III) in an alkaline medium. Ferrofluids placed in an external magnetic field show properties that make them interesting as magneto-controllable soft photonic crystals. Morphological and structural characterizations of the samples were obtained from Scanning Electron Microscopy and Transmission Electron Microscopy studies. Magnetic properties were investigated with the aid of a vibrating sample magnetometer at room temperature. Herein, the Co{sub 0.25}Zn{sub 0.75}Fe{sub 2}O{sub 4} samples showed superparamagnetic behavior, according to hysteresis loop results. Taking in mind that the Co-Zn ferrite hysteresis loop is very small, our magnetic nanoparticles can be considered soft magnetic material with interesting technological applications. In addition, by using the plane-wave expansion method, we studied the photonic band structure of 2D photonic crystals made of ferrofluids with the same nanoparticles. Previous experimental results show that a magnetic field applied perpendicular to the ferrofluid plane agglomerates the magnetic nanoparticles in parallel rods to form a hexagonal 2D photonic crystal. We calculated the photonic band structure of photonic crystals by means of the effective refractive index of the magnetic fluid, basing the study on the Maxwell-Garnett theory, finding that the photonic band structure does not present any band gaps under the action of applied magnetic field strengths used in our experimental conditions.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2014

Investigation of magnetic properties of Fe{sub 3}O{sub 4} nanoparticles using temperature dependent magnetic hyperthermia in ferrofluids

Rate of heat generated by magnetic nanoparticles in a ferrofluid is affected by their magnetic properties, temperature, and viscosity of the carrier liquid. We have investigated temperature dependent magnetic hyperthermia in ferrofluids, consisting of dextran coated superparamagnetic Fe{sub 3}O{sub 4} nanoparticles, subjected to external magnetic fields of various frequencies (188–375 kHz) and amplitudes (140–235 Oe). Transmission electron microscopy measurements show that the nanoparticles are polydispersed with a mean diameter of 13.8 ± 3.1 nm. The fitting of experimental dc magnetization data to a standard Langevin function incorporating particle size distribution yields a mean diameter of 10.6 ± 1.2 nm, and a reduced saturation magnetization (∼65 emu/g) compared to the bulk value of Fe{sub 3}O{sub 4} (∼95 emu/g). This is due to the presence of a finite surface layer (∼1 nm thickness) of non-aligned spins surrounding the ferromagnetically aligned Fe{sub 3}O{sub 4} core. We found the specific absorption rate, measured as power absorbed per gram of iron oxide nanoparticles, decreases monotonically with increasing temperature for all values of magnetic field and frequency. Using the size distribution of magnetic nanoparticles estimated from the magnetization measurements, we have fitted the specific absorption rate versus temperature data using a linear response theory and relaxation dissipation mechanisms to determine the value of magnetic anisotropy constant (28 ± 2 kJ/m{sup 3}) of Fe{sub 3}O{sub 4} nanoparticles.

77 NANOSCIENCE AND NANOTECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2014

Spin and orbital magnetic moments of Fe in the n-type ferromagnetic semiconductor (In,Fe)As

The electronic and magnetic properties of Fe atoms in the ferromagnetic semiconductor (In,Fe)As codoped with Be have been studied by x-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) and x-ray magnetic circular dichroism (XMCD) at the Fe L{sub 2,3} edge. The XAS and XMCD spectra showed simple spectral line shapes similar to Fe metal, but the ratio of the orbital and spin magnetic moments (M{sub orb}/M{sub spin}) estimated using the XMCD sum rules was significantly larger than that of Fe metal, indicating a significant orbital moment of Fe 3d electrons in (In,Fe)As:Be. The positive value of M{sub orb}/M{sub spin} implies that the Fe 3d shell is more than half-filled, which arises from the hybridization of the Fe{sup 3+} (d{sup 5}) state with the charge-transfer d{sup 6}L{sub ¯} states, where L{sub ¯} is a ligand hole in the host valence band. The XMCD intensity as a function of magnetic field indicated hysteretic behavior of the superparamagnetic-like component due to discrete ferromagnetic domains.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2014

Magnetic interactions in γ-Fe{sub 2}O{sub 3}@SiO{sub 2} nanocomposites

Structural and magnetic properties of γ-Fe{sub 2}O{sub 3} nanoparticles of 4 nm diameter, dispersed into silica SiO{sub 2} matrix with a wide range value of volume fraction (0.05 to 1), were investigated. Produced γ-Fe{sub 2}O{sub 3}@SiO{sub 2} nanocomposites consist of an assembly of very small single domain magnetic object (<10 nm) with a random distribution of both inter-particle distance and direction of particle magnetic moment. We focused on the determination of a magnetic percolation threshold, defined as the magnetic particles concentration value above which the magnetic properties of isolated particles vanished in favor of a magnetic collective behavior induced by magnetic interactions. A percolation threshold value of 0.63 was obtained by a local probe technique such as {sup 57}Fe Mössbauer spectrometry and confirmed by global magnetic measurements through zero-field cooled, field-cooled, and ac susceptibility data. Below this threshold, dynamic ac magnetization measurements show a thermally activated Arrhenius dependence of the blocking temperature of superparamagnetic nanoparticles and above this critical value, one observes a slowing down of their dynamic properties, which lead toward the establishment of a spin-glass like state.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2014

Magnetic and transport properties of cobalt doped La₀.₇Sr₀.₃MnO₃

The magnetic and transport properties of La₀.₇Sr₀.₃Mn{sub 1–x}CoxO₃ (0≤x≤1) samples were systematically studied. A magnetic phase diagram was constructed according to the observed results. At the two ends (x ≤ 0.3 and x>0.9), the samples exhibit the conventional ferromagnetism with the metallic conducting behavior, which can be interpreted in terms of the double exchange coupling between Mn (Co) ions. As for the intermediate Co-doping region (0.3<x≤0.9), the samples enter a mixed magnetic phase state, which displays the characteristics of the glassy states. According to the frequency-dependent results from the ac susceptibility, a representative frequency sensitivity factor K was calculated to be ~0.1 for the typical La₀.₇Sr₀.₃Mn₀.₆Co₀.₄O₃ sample, corresponding to the coexistence of superparamagnetic-like free spins and the reentrant spin glass. The results of the Curie-Weiss fitting of the dc magnetization suggest that the Co³⁺ ions are in the intermediate spin state with the increase of Co-doping level (x ≥ 0.3), while the Co⁴⁺ ions show the spin state transition from the high spin state to the intermediate spin state at x=0.6. The temperature dependence of resistivity shows a metal-insulator transition character for the intermediate Co-doping samples, which can be well fitted by the three dimensional variable-range-hopping model in the whole temperature range. These facts suggest that the double exchange interaction in the perovskite La₀.₇Sr₀.₃MnO₃ is destroyed by the B site doping, due to the strong competition between the double exchange and superexchange interactions in Co/Mn ions as well as the frustration of spins in the system.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2014

Turn on of new electronic paths in Fe-SiO{sub 2} granular thin film

The electrical properties of Fe-SiO{sub 2} have been studied in the low-field regime (eΔV ≪ k{sub B}T), varying the injected current and the bias potential. Superparamagnetism and a resistance drop of 4400 Ω (for a voltage variation of 15 V) were observed at room temperature. This resistance drop increased at lower temperatures. The electrical properties were described with the “Mott variable range hopping” model explaining the behavior of the electrical resistance and the electronic localization length as due to the activation of new electronic paths between more distant grains. This non-ohmic resistance at room temperature can be important for properties dependent of electrical current (magnetoresistance, Hall effect, and magnetoimpedance).

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2014

Study of nanocomposites based on iron oxides and pectin

Mössbauer and X-ray diffraction study of nanocomposites based on iron oxides and pectin (PC) was carried out involving magnetization measurements. The concentrations of PC in nanocomposites varied from 0 to 10%. Mössbauer investigations of nanocomposites were carried out in the temperature range from 5 to 300 K. Many-state superparamagnetic relaxation model was used for spectra fitting. The magnetization, M(T,H), was measured in the temperature interval of 80-300 K and magnetic field up to 10 kOe. Formation of the 'iron-polymer' interface was not observed. Particle sizes were estimated using the Mössbauer and X-ray powder diffraction data.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2014

Slew-rate dependence of tracer magnetization response in magnetic particle imaging

Magnetic Particle Imaging (MPI) is a new biomedical imaging technique that produces real-time, high-resolution tomographic images of superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticle tracers. Currently, 25 kHz and 20 mT/μ{sub 0} excitation fields are common in MPI, but lower field amplitudes may be necessary for patient safety in future designs. Here, we address fundamental questions about MPI tracer magnetization dynamics and predict tracer performance in future scanners that employ new combinations of excitation field amplitude (H{sub o}) and frequency (ω). Using an optimized, monodisperse MPI tracer, we studied how several combinations of drive field frequencies and amplitudes affect the tracer's response, using Magnetic Particle Spectrometry and AC hysteresis, for drive field conditions at 15.5, 26, and 40.2 kHz, with field amplitudes ranging from 7 to 52 mT/μ{sub 0}. For both fluid and immobilized nanoparticle samples, we determined that magnetic response was dominated by Néel reversal. Furthermore, we observed that the peak slew-rate (ωH{sub o}) determined the tracer magnetic response. Smaller amplitudes provided correspondingly smaller field of view, sometimes resulting in excitation of minor hysteresis loops. Changing the drive field conditions but keeping the peak slew-rate constant kept the tracer response almost the same. Higher peak slew-rates led to reduced maximum signal intensity and greater coercivity in the tracer response. Our experimental results were in reasonable agreement with Stoner-Wohlfarth model based theories.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2014

How does a thermal binary crystal break under shear?

When exposed to strong shearing, the particles in a crystal will rearrange and ultimately, the crystal will break by forming large nonaffine defects. Even for the initial stage of this process, only little effort has been devoted to the understanding of the breaking process on the scale of the individual particle size for thermalized mixed crystals. Here, we explore the shear-induced breaking for an equimolar two-dimensional binary model crystal with a high interaction asymmetry between the two different species such that the initial crystal has an intersecting square sublattice of the two constituents. Using Brownian dynamics computer simulations, we show that the combination of shear and thermal fluctuations leads to a characteristic hierarchical breaking scenario where initially, the more strongly coupled particles are thermally distorted, paving the way for the weakly coupled particles to escape from their cage. This in turn leads to mobile defects which may finally merge, proliferating a cascade of defects, which triggers the final breakage of the crystal. This scenario is in marked contrast to the breakage of one-component crystals close to melting. Moreover, we explore the orientational dependence of the initial shear direction relative to the crystal orientation and compare this to the usual melting scenario without shear. Our results are verifiable in real-space experiments of superparamagnetic colloidal mixtures at a pending air-water interface in an external magnetic field where the shear can be induced by an external laser field.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2014

Structural, electronic, and magnetic properties of single MnAs nanoclusters in GaAs

MnAs nanoclusters in GaAs were investigated with cross-sectional scanning tunneling microscopy. The topographic images reveal that the small clusters have the same zinc-blende crystal structure as the host material, while the larger clusters grow in a hexagonal crystal phase. The initial Mn concentration during molecular beam epitaxy growth has a strong influence on the size of the clusters that form during the annealing step. The local band structure of a single MnAs cluster is probed with scanning tunneling spectroscopy, revealing a Coulomb blockade effect that correlates with the size of the cluster. With a spin-sensitive tip, for the smaller clusters, superparamagnetic switching between two distinct states is observed at T = 77 K. The larger clusters do not change their magnetic state at this temperature, i.e., they are superferromagnetic, confirming that they are responsible for the ferromagnetic behavior of this material at room-temperature.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2014

Effect of particle size distribution on the structure, hyperfine, and magnetic properties of Ni{sub 0.5}Zn{sub 0.5}Fe{sub 2}O{sub 4} nanopowders

Ni{sub 0.5}Zn{sub 0.5}Fe{sub 2}O{sub 4} nano powders were synthesized by an auto combustion method and then heat treated at different temperatures in air for a fixed time. As a consequence, a distribution in particle size and strain was incorporated within the specimens, as estimated from the Rietveld refinement analysis of the powder x-ray diffraction data. The changes in the microstructure and crystal structure parameters were carefully extracted through the refinement analysis. Thermal annealing causes increment in the dispersion and mean of the size distribution. Reallocation of cations in the lattice sites occur as a consequence of the heat treatment which was manifested in their altered unit cell length (a), r.m.s. strain (〈ε{sup 2}〉{sup 1/2}), oxygen positional parameter (u), metal-oxygen bond lengths (R{sub OA} and R{sub OB}), and the band positions (ν{sub 1}and ν{sub 2}) in the vibrational spectroscopy. We also investigate the hyperfine and magnetic properties of the samples using different instrumental techniques (with different operating time scales) like Mössbauer spectroscopy, electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy, and superconducting quantum interference device magnetometry. Results show that the effect of particle size distribution was manifested in their hyperfine field distribution profile, paramagnetic resonance spectra, and magnetic anisotropy energy distribution profile. Co-existence of superparamagnetic and ferrimagnetic phase was recorded at room temperature in the samples when annealed at lower temperature. However, with increase in annealing temperature, the nature of the size distribution changes and ferrimagnetic ordering predominates for the larger size nanoparticles. Thus, the effect of particle size distribution on the structural, hyperfine, and magnetic properties of various Ni{sub 0.5}Zn{sub 0.5}Fe{sub 2}O{sub 4} nanoparticles was investigated herein which hitherto has not been discussed in the literature.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2015

Extraordinary Hall effect and universal scaling in Fe{sub x}(ZnO){sub 1–x} granular thin films at room temperature

On the benefit of the concept of the so-called diluted magnetic oxides, Fe{sub x}(ZnO){sub 1–x} (x = 0.50–0.85) granular thin films with different thickness through 2D and 3D percolation region were prepared by ion beam assisted deposition. All samples are ferromagnetic at room-temperature due to the ferromagnetic nature of the Fe-doped ZnO matrix, which is quite different from the superparamagnetic behavior in the insulator-matrix based granular films. Along with decreasing thickness, the Hall coefficient R{sub S} is largely enhanced. The maximum R{sub S} reaches 4.27 × 10{sup −7} m{sup 3}/C in ∼2.8 nm Fe{sub 0.6}(ZnO){sub 0.4} granular film, which is nearly 9 times larger than the R{sub S} (4.64 × 10{sup −8} m{sup 3}/C) of the ∼50 nm Fe{sub 0.6}(ZnO){sub 0.4} sample. Meanwhile, the R{sub S} could maintain in a wide temperature region from 10 K to 300 K and the Hall sensitivity reaches ∼130 V/AT at room-temperature. The scaling exponential of n = 1.7 ± 0.1 in σ{sub xy}∼σ{sub xx}{sup n} is observed, fitting well with the recent developed universal scaling theory characterized by n = 1.6 in the dirty limit.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2015

Structural, magnetic, and dielectric studies of the Aurivillius compounds SrBi{sub 5}Ti{sub 4}MnO{sub 18} and SrBi{sub 5}Ti{sub 4}Mn{sub 0.5}Co{sub 0.5}O{sub 18}

We have successfully synthesized the Aurivillius compounds SrBi{sub 5}Ti{sub 4}MnO{sub 18} and SrBi{sub 5}Ti{sub 4}Mn{sub 0.5}Co{sub 0.5}O{sub 18} using a modified Pechini method. Both samples have an orthorhombic structure with the space group B2cb. The valence state of Mn is suggested to be +3 and the doped Co ions exist in the form of Co{sup 2+} and Co{sup 3+} based on the results of x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The sample SrBi{sub 5}Ti{sub 4}MnO{sub 18} exhibits a dominant paramagnetic state with the existence of superparamagnetic state as evidenced by the electron paramagnetic resonance results, whereas SrBi{sub 5}Ti{sub 4}Mn{sub 0.5}Co{sub 0.5}O{sub 18} undergoes a ferrimagnetic transition at 161 K originating from the antiferromagnetic coupling of Co-based and Mn-based sublattices, and a ferromagnetic transition at 45 K arising from the Mn{sup 3+}-O-Co{sup 3+} (low spin) interaction. The sample SrBi{sub 5}Ti{sub 4}Mn{sub 0.5}Co{sub 0.5}O{sub 18} exhibits two dielectric anomalies. One corresponds to a relaxor-like dielectric relaxation which follows the Vogel-Fulcher function and the other dielectric relaxation obeys the Arrhenius law arising from the collective motion of oxygen vacancies. In addition, the sample SrBi{sub 5}Ti{sub 4}Mn{sub 0.5}Co{sub 0.5}O{sub 18} exhibits a magnetodielectric effect caused by the Maxwell-Wagner effect because of the conductivity of the sample. This is demonstrated by the fact that the activation energy in dielectric loss process is close to that for dc conductivity and the magnetodielectric effect is sensitive to the measured frequency.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2015

Noise-induced bifurcations in magnetization dynamics of uniaxial nanomagnets

Stochastic magnetization dynamics in uniformly magnetized nanomagnets is considered. The system is assumed to have rotational symmetry as the anisotropy axis, the applied field, and the spin polarization are all aligned along an axis of symmetry. By appropriate integration of the Fokker-Planck equation associated to the problem, the stochastic differential equation governing the evolution of the angle between the magnetization orientation and the symmetry axis is derived. The drift terms present in this equation contain a noise-induced drift term, which, in combination with drift terms of deterministic origin, can be written as the derivative of an effective potential. Superparamagnetic-like transitions are studied in connections with the bifurcations of the effective potential as temperature and excitation conditions are varied.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2015

Effect of sonication on the colloidal stability of iron oxide nanoparticles

Colloidal stability of superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles’ (SPION) suspensions, ultrasonically irradiated at various pH was studied. Electrophoresis measurement of the sonicated SPION showed that the shock waves and other unique conditions generated from the acoustic cavitation process (formation, growth and collapse of bubbles) affect the zeta potential value of the suspension. In this work, stabled colloidal suspensions of SPION were prepared and their pH is varied between 3 and 5. Prior to ultrasonic irradiation of the suspensions, their initial zeta potential values were determined. After ultrasonic irradiation of the suspensions, we observed that the sonication process interacts with colloidal stability of the nanoparticles. The results demonstrated that only suspensions with pH less 4 were found stable and able to retain more than 90% of its initial zeta potential value. However, at pH greater than 4, the suspensions were found unstable. The result implies that good zeta potential value of SPION can be sustained in sonochemical process as long as the pH of the mixture is kept below 4.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2015

Magnetic phase transitions in ferrite nanoparticles characterized by electron spin resonance

Ferrite magnetic nanoparticles in the composition Zn{sub 0.7}Ni{sub 0.3}Fe{sub 2}O{sub 4} were synthesized by the polyol method, with an average size of 8 nm. Electron spin resonance (ESR) measurements were carried out at a frequency of 9.45 GHz in the 100–500 K temperature range. Obtained results exhibited a characteristic ESR signal in terms of resonance field, H{sub res}, linewidth, ΔH, and peak ratio, R, for each magnetic phase. At low temperatures, the ferrimagnetic phase showed low H{sub res}, broad ΔH, and asymmetric R. At high temperatures, these parameters exhibited opposite values: high H{sub res}, small ΔH, and R ∼ 1. For intermediate temperatures, a different phase was observed, which was identified as a superparamagnetic phase by means of zero-field cooling-field cooling and hysteresis loops measurements. The observed differences were explained in terms of the internal fields and especially due to the cubic anisotropy in the ordered phase.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗