Co-Pt alloy nanoparticles produced using a template of nanoparticle array

A monolayer of Co-Pt alloy nanoparticles in the nanometer-size regime was fabricated using a nanotemplate approach. 1.7-nm-thick Co46Pt54 film was deposited onto a preexisting array of Ni seed particles embedded in a polyimide film. During subsequent annealing, the deposited Co46Pt54 film coalesced onto the seed particles to produce a monolayer of Co-Pt alloy particles. Deposition and annealing were repeated to increase both average particle size and volume fraction of the alloy particles. It was also shown that the annealing temperature was critical in controlling the particle size distribution and the final composition of the nanoparticles. This method of forming a single layer of vertically aligned nanoparticles can be easily extended to a large area as well as to produce a different combination of alloy particles on a polymer film. (c) 2006 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.