Magnetic characterization of nanocrystalline iron samples with different size distributions

Abstract

Nanocrystalline iron was obtained by fusing magnetite and promoters. The oxidized form was reduced with hydrogen and passivated (sample P0). The average nanocrystallite size in sample P0 was d(P0) =16 nm and the width of size distribution was σ(P0) = 18 nm. Samples of nanocrystalline iron with narrower diameter ranges and larger and smaller average crystallite sizes were also synthesized. They were: sample P1 (d(P1) = 28 nm, σ(P1) = 5 nm), sample P2 (d(P2) = 22 nm, σ(P1) = 5 nm), sample P3 (d(P3) = 12 nm, σ(P1) = 9 nm). These four samples were studied at room temperature by dc magnetization measurements and ferromagnetic resonance at microwave frequency. Correlations between samples sizes distributions (average size and width of the sizes) and magnetic parameters (effective magnetization, anisotropy field, anisotropy constant, FMR linewidth) were investigated. It was found that the anisotropy field and effective magnetization determined from FMR spectra scale linearly with nanoparticle sizes, while the effective magnetic anisotropy constant determined from the hysteresis loops decreases with nanoparticle size increase.