Magnetic properties of monodispersed Ni/NiO core-shell nanoparticles

We have recently developed a method to fabricate monodispersed Ni/NiO core-shell nanoparticles by pulsed laser ablation (Sakiyama, et al. J. Phys. Chem. B 2004, 108, 523). In this report, the size-dependent magnetic properties of monodispersed Ni/NiO core-shell nanoparticles were investigated. These nanoparticles were formed in two steps. The first was to fabricate a series of monodispersed Ni nanoparticles of 5 to 20 nm in diameter using a combination of laser ablation and size classification by a low-pressure differential mobility analyzer (DMA). The second step was to oxidize the surfaces of the Ni particles in situ to form core-shell structures. A superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID) magnetometer was used to measure the magnetic properties of nanostructured films prepared by depositing the nanoparticles at room temperature. Ferromagnetism was observed in the magnetic hysteresis loop of the nanostructured films composed of core-shell nanoparticles with core diameters smaller than the superparamagnetic limit, which suggests the spin of Ni core was weakly exchange coupled with antiferromagnetic NiO shell. In contrast, smaller nanoparticles with core diameters of 3.0 nm exhibited superparamagnetism. The drastic change in the hysteresis loops between field-deposited and zero-field-deposited samples was attributable to the strong anisotropy that developed during the magnetic-field-assisted nanostructuring process.