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arXiv · 1908.00343

Size-dependent spatial magnetization profile of manganese-zinc ferrite Mn0.2Zn0.2Fe2.6O4 nanoparticles

Abstract

We report the results of an unpolarized small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) study on Mn-Zn ferrite (MZFO) magnetic nanoparticles with the aim to elucidate the interplay between their particle size and the magnetization configuration. We study different samples of single-crystalline MZFO nanoparticles with average diameters ranging between 8 to 80 nm, and demonstrate that the smallest particles are homogeneously magnetized. However, with increasing nanoparticle size, we observe the transition from a uniform to a nonuniform magnetization state. Field-dependent results for the correlation function confirm that the internal spin disorder is suppressed with increasing field strength. The experimental SANS data are supported by the results of micromagnetic simulations, which confirm an increasing inhomogeneity of the magnetization profile of the nanoparticle with increasing size. The results presented demonstrate the unique ability of SANS to detect even very small deviations of the magnetization state from the homogeneous one.

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Mathias Bersweiler, Philipp Bender, Laura G. Vivas, Martin Albino, Michele Petrecca, Sebastian Mühlbauer, Sergey Erokhin, Dmitry Berkov, Claudio Sangregorio, Andreas Michels. 2019-08-01. Size-dependent spatial magnetization profile of manganese-zinc ferrite Mn0.2Zn0.2Fe2.6O4 nanoparticles. https://doi.org/10.1103/physrevb.100.144434

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