Neutron spin-flip scattering of nanocrystalline cobalt

in Journal of Physics : Condensed Matter (2011), 23(1), 1-4

Neutron spin-flip scattering of nanocrystalline cobalt

in Journal of Physics: Condensed Matter (2010), 23(1), 016003

Spin structure of nanocrystalline terbium

in Physical Review. B, Condensed Matter and Materials Physics (2004), 69

We present an experimental study of the magnetic microstructure in the nanocrystalline hard magnet Tb. Field-dependent small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) data are analyzed quantitatively in terms of ... [more ▼]

We present an experimental study of the magnetic microstructure in the nanocrystalline hard magnet Tb. Field-dependent small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) data are analyzed quantitatively in terms of the correlation function of the spin misalignment. We find that up to applied fields of several tesla the magnetization remains “locked in” to the basal planes of the hcp crystal lattice of each individual crystallite, but that the in-plane orientation of the spins is highly nonuniform within each grain. This spin disorder at the nanoscale can be suppressed by a large applied field, but in the remanent state the disorder reduces the magnetization to values considerably below the Stoner limit. In field-dependent SANS, the intragrain spin disorder gives rise to a crossover of the scattering curves, and to the unusual finding that the scattering cross section at small scattering vector increases with increasing magnetic field. As the origin of the internal spin disorder within the grains, we propose an extra magnetic anisotropy energy at small grain size, presumably due to microstrain, a suggestion which is supported by analysis of ac-susceptibility data in the paramagnetic state. Our finding of a reduced remanence at small grain size is contrary to the remanence enhancement that is observed in other nanocrystalline hard magnets. We also report an unusual logarithmic field dependence of the magnetization over wide ranges of the applied field and temperature. [less ▲]

Magnetic small-angle neutron scattering by nanocrystalline terbium

in Scripta Materialia (2001), 44(8), 2357-2361

We present an experimental study of the magnetic microstructure in the nanocrystalline hard magnet Tb. Field-dependent SANS data are analyzed quantitatively in terms of the correlation function of the ... [more ▼]

We present an experimental study of the magnetic microstructure in the nanocrystalline hard magnet Tb. Field-dependent SANS data are analyzed quantitatively in terms of the correlation function of the spin misalignment. We find that up to applied fields of several Tesla the magnetization remains ‘locked in’ to the basal planes of the hcp crystal lattice of each individual crystallite; But that the in-plane orientation of the spins is highly nonuniform within each particle. This internal structure can be suppressed by the applied field. [less ▲]

Exchange-stiffness constant in cold-worked and nanocrystalline Ni measured by elastic small-angle neutron scattering

in Journal of Applied Physics (2000), 87(9), 5953-5955

We present a new method for determining the exchange-stiffness constant A of a ferromagnetic bulk material by field-dependent elastic small-angle neutron scattering (SANS). In the limit of high applied ... [more ▼]

We present a new method for determining the exchange-stiffness constant A of a ferromagnetic bulk material by field-dependent elastic small-angle neutron scattering (SANS). In the limit of high applied magnetic field H, for which the scattering volume is a single magnetic domain and the magnetization is nearly aligned with the direction of the applied field, a combination of micromagnetics theory with neutron scattering formalism suggests closed-form expressions for the differential scattering cross section as a function of the scattering vector and of H. Based on these results it is suggested that the exchange-stiffness constant can be extracted from experimental SANS data recorded as a function of H. At ambient temperature we have applied this method to polycrystalline cold-worked Ni and nanocrystalline electrodeposited Ni, finding exchange-stiffness constants of (8.2±0.2)×10−12 and (7.6±0.3)×10−12  J/m, respectively. Measurement at 5 K yields a value of (9.2±0.2)×10−12 J/m for the nanocrystalline sample, a temperature dependence that agrees qualitatively with data in the literature. In addition to the value of A, the technique supplies information on the spatial structure of the magnetic anisotropy field. [less ▲]