Magnetic and magneto optical characteristics of nanowire arrays embedded in anodic aluminium oxide

Abstract

Our recent work on the fabrication and properties of ordered elemental (Co, Fe) and alloy (Co1-xPtx) nanowire arrays embedded in anodic aluminium oxide (AAO) templates is reviewed. Nanowires with diameters from sub-micron to nano-metre have been fabricated using an electrodeposition technique. The nanowire array structure, crystallographic structure, magnetic properties, and magneto-optical properties have all been investigated. The wire size and photon energy dependent magneto-optical properties of Co and Fe nanowire arrays in the regime of visible spectrum were found to be considerably different from their bulk counterparts. The crystal structure of Co 1-xPtx (0