| Author | B. Wei, M. Shima, R. Pati, S.K. Nayak, D.J. Singh, R. Ma, Y. Li, Y. Bando, S. Nasu, P.M. Ajayan |
|---|---|
| Title | Room-Temperature Ferromagnetism in Doped Face-Centered Cubic Fe Nanoparticles |
| Year | 2006 |
| Journal | Small |
| Pages | 2-7 |
| Editor | Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. |
| Abstract | The magnetism of Fe and its alloys has been at the center of scientific and technological interest for decades. Along with the ferromagnetic nature of body-centered cubic Fe, the magnetic properties of facecentered cubic (fcc) Fe have attracted much attention. It is well-known that fcc Fe is thermodynamically unstable at ambient conditions and not ferromagnetic. Contrary to what is known in this system, we report that elongated nanoparticles of fcc Fe, grown within graphitic nanotubes by the vapor-phase interaction of ferrocene and hydrocarbons, remain structurally stable and appear ferromagnetic at room temperature. The magnetic moment (2_0.5 mB) in these nanoparticles observed using magnetization measurements, and the hyperfine fields for two different components of 57Fe (33 and 21 T) measured by Mçssbauer spectroscopy, are explained by carbon interstitials in the expanded fcc Fe lattice, that is, FeCx where x_0.10, which result in the formation of a dominant Fe4C stoichiometry. First-principles calculations suggest that the ferromagnetism observed in the fcc Fe is related to both lattice expansion and charge transfer between iron and carbon. The understanding of strain- and dopant-induced ferromagnetism in the fcc Fe could lead to the development of new fcc Fe-based alloys for magnetic applications. |
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