Nanoparticle Synthesis and Magnetic Properties
Summary
Nanoparticle synthesis now enables precise control over size, shape, composition and crystallographic order, all of which strongly influence magnetic behaviour. Colloidal and solid-state methods facilitate the production of monodisperse particles from a few nanometres to tens of nanometres. Thermal treatments and doping strategies promote the formation of chemically ordered phases, most notably the L10 (face-centred tetragonal) structure in FePt and CoPt alloys, which affords high magnetocrystalline anisotropy and thermal stability at elevated temperatures. Morphological parameters, including aspect ratio and surface faceting, can be tuned to introduce shape anisotropy, further enhancing coercivity. Interfacial architectures such as core–shell and heterodimer constructs combine ferromagnetic and functional components to achieve coupled magnetic and catalytic activity. These developments pave the way for high-density data storage, permanent magnet design and magnetic resonance imaging contrast agents, underscoring the global and cross-disciplinary impact of this field.
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Nanoparticle Synthesis and Magnetic Properties publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in nanoparticle synthesis and magnetic properties across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Nanoparticle: A particle with dimensions in the 1–100 nm range, often exhibiting size-dependent properties.
L10 ordering: A chemically ordered face-centred tetragonal structure common in FePt and CoPt alloys, imparting high magnetocrystalline anisotropy.
Coercivity: The intensity of applied magnetic field required to reduce the magnetisation of a magnetic material to zero.
Shape anisotropy: Directional dependence of magnetic response arising from non-spherical particle morphology.
Magnetocrystalline anisotropy: The dependence of magnetic energy on the orientation of magnetisation with respect to the crystal lattice.
References
- Effects of high magnetic field annealing on FePt nanoparticles with shape-anisotropy and element-distribution-anisotropy. RSC Advances (2021).
- Influence of Cu on the Improvement of Magnetic Properties and Structure of L10 FePt Nanoparticles. Nanomaterials (2021).
- Origin of shape anisotropy effects in solution-phase synthesized FePt nanomagnets. Journal of Applied Physics (2011).
- A One‐Pot Route to Faceted FePt‐Fe3O4 Dumbbells: Probing Morphology–Catalytic Activity Effects in O2 Reduction Catalysis. Advanced Functional Materials (2020).
- Core/shell Cu/FePtCu nanoparticles with face-centered tetragonal texture: An active and stable low-Pt catalyst for enhanced oxygen reduction. Nano Energy (2018).
- Synthesis of L1 0 ferromagnetic CoPt nanopowders using a single-source molecular precursor and water-soluble support. Journal of Materials Chemistry C (2013).
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