Exchange bias behavior in Ni50.0Mn35.5 In14.5 ribbons annealed at different temperatures

Heusler alloy Ni_50.0Mn_35.5In_14.5 ribbons were prepared by melt-spinning technique. Several short time annealings were carried out in order to enhance the exchange bias effect in this alloy ribbon. The magnetic transition temperature increases with the annealing, compared to the as-spun sample, however no significant differences in respective Curie temperatures were observed for austenite and martensite phases in such annealed samples. Exchange bias effect is observed at low temperatures for all samples and practically vanishes at 60 K for the as-spun sample, whereas for the annealed ribbons it vanishes at 100 K.     

Effect of heat treatment procedure on magnetic and magnetocaloric properties of Ni43Mn46In11 melt spun ribbons

The effect of heat treatment on the structural, magnetic and magnetocaloric properties of Ni₄₃Mn₄₆In₁₁ melt-spun ribbons was systematically investigated using X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM), atomic force microscope (AFM), magnetic force microscope (MFM) and magnetic measurements. From the XRD studies, tetragonal and cubic phases were detected at room temperature for as-spun, quenched and slow-cooled ribbons. Furthermore, it was observed, upon annealing martensite transition temperatures increased when compared to the as-spun ribbon. To avoid magnetic hysteresis losses in the vicinity of the structural transition region, the magnetic entropy changes-ΔS _m of the investigated ribbons were evaluated from temperature-dependent magnetisation-M(T) curves on cooling for different applied magnetic fields. The maximum ΔS _m value was found to be 6.79 J kg^?1 K^?1 for the quenched ribbon in the vicinity of structural transition region for a magnetic field change of 50 kOe.     

Effect of annealing on magnetoimpedance of Co68Fe4Zr10Cu2B16 ribbons

Magnetoimpedance (MI) in Co₆₈Fe₄Zr₁₀Cu₂B₁₆ alloy has been investigated in the frequency range 500 kHz–5 MHz and with the application of external steady magnetic field in the longitudinal direction, up to 100 Oe. MI measurements were carried out on as-cast ribbons and also on conventionally annealed and Joule-annealed ribbons. In as cast ribbons, the maximum MI observed is 13% at a frequency of 500 kHz and it decreases to 5% and 4% with conventional annealing at 100 °C and 150 °C, respectively. On the other hand, MI decreases to 8% and 6% with Joule annealing employing currents of 100 mA and 200 mA, respectively. However, Joule annealing with the application of a magnetic field of 5–10 Oe in the transverse direction causes the MI to decrease to 12% and 11% for currents of 100 mA and 200 mA, respectively. In the as-cast ribbons, double peak behavior is observed in all the frequencies whereas, in the annealed ribbons, double peak behavior in general is observed only at high frequencies.     

Current-dependent positive magnetoresistance in La_(0.8)Ba_(0.2)MnO_3 ultrathin films

We report an investigation into the magnetoresistance(MR) of La_(0.8) Ba_(0.2) Mn O_3 ultrathin films with various thicknesses. While the 13 nm-thick film shows the commonly reported negative magnetoresistive effect, the 6 nm-and 4 nmthick films display unconventional positive magnetoresistive(PMR) behavior under certain conditions. As well as the dependence on the film's thickness, it has been found that the electrical resistivity and the PMR effect of the thinner films are very dependent on the test current. For example, the magnetoresistive ratio of the 4 nm-thick film changes from +46%to-37% when the current is increased from 10 n A to 100 n A under 15 k Oe at 40 K. In addition, the two thinner films present opposite changes in electrical resistivity with respect to the test current, i.e., the electroresistive(ER) effect, at low temperatures. We discuss the complex magnetoresistive and ER behaviors by taking account of the weak contacts at grain boundaries between ferromagnetic metallic(FMM) grains. The PMR effect can be attributed to the breaking of the weak contacts due to the giant magnetostriction of the FMM grains under a magnetic field. Considering the competing effects of the conductive filament and local Joule self-heating at grain boundaries on the transport properties, the dissimilar ER effects in the two thinner films are also understandable. These experimental findings provide an additional approach for tuning the magnetoresistive effect in manganite films.     

Structure, magneto-structural transitions and magnetocaloric properties in Ni50−xMn37+xIn13 melt spun ribbons

Melt spun Ni_50−xMn_37+xIn₁₃ (2≤x≤5) ribbons were investigated for the structure, microstructure, magneto-structural transitions and inverse magnetocaloric effect (IMCE) associated with the first-order martensitic phase transition. The influence of excess Mn in Ni site (or Ni/Mn content) on the martensite transition and the associated magnetic and magnetocaloric properties are discussed. It was found that with the increase in Mn content, the martensitic transition shifted from 325 to 240 K as x is varied from 2 to 4, and the austenite phase was stabilized at room temperature. The x=5 ribbon did not show the martensitic transition. For the x=3 ribbon, the structural and magnetic transitions are close together unlike in the x=4 ribbon in which they are far (∼60 K) apart. The zero field cooled and field cooled curves support the presence of exchange bias blocking temperature due to antiferromagnetic interactions in the ribbons. A large change in the magnetization between the martensite and austenite phases was observed for a small variation in the Ni/Mn content, which resulted in large IMCE. A large positive magnetic entropy change (ΔS_M) of 32 J/kg K at room temperature (∼ 300 K) for a field change of 5 T with a net refrigeration capacity of 64 J/kg was obtained in the Ni₄₇Mn₄₀In₁₃ ribbon.     

Heusler合金Mn50–xCrxNi42Sn8的相变、磁性与交换偏置效应

研究了Mn50–xCrxNi42Sn8 (x=0, 0.4, 0.6, 0.8)多晶样品的相变、磁性和交换偏置效应.结果表明,该系列合金在室温下都具有非调制的四方马氏体结构.马氏体逆相变温度随Cr含量增加而逐渐降低. 20 k Oe磁场下的M-T曲线表明,该系列合金的磁性比较弱.两相之间的磁性差最大为△M=7.61 emu/g.磁性的变化主要与Mn-Mn间距的变化以及Ni(A位)-Mn(D位)间杂化作用的强弱有关.在低温下,马氏体相的磁性随着Cr含量增加而增强.在500 Oe的外加磁场作用下,从室温冷却到5 K,在Mn50Ni42Sn8合金中观察到高达2624 Oe的交换偏置场.随着Cr含量的增加,交换偏置场逐渐减小.当Cr含量x=0.8时,随着冷却场的增加, 5 K时的交换偏置场先迅速增加然后逐渐减小.当冷却场为500 Oe时,交换偏置场最大.这主要归因于自旋玻璃态与反铁磁性区域的界面交换耦合作用的变化.     

Exchange bias and magnetothermal properties in Fe@Mn nanocomposites

We have studied the Exchange Bias (EB) effect in nanocomposite films consisting of Fe nanoparticles (mean size ∼1.9 nm) embedded in an antiferromagnetic Mn matrix. They were produced by co-deposition through a gas aggregation cluster source and molecular beam epitaxy and have different Fe volume filling fractions (2.2% and 24.8%). The exchange field, higher in the sample with higher Fe concentration (at T=5 K, H_ex∼460 Oe for 24.8% and ∼310 Oe for 2.2% ), in both the samples decreases with increasing T, finally disappearing at T∼40 K. The EB properties have been studied in conjunction with results on the thermal dependence of the magnetic coercivity, zero-field-cooled and field-cooled magnetization and thermoremanence. The different Fe content strongly affects the magnetothermal properties, featuring superparamagnetic relaxation in the diluted sample and a reentrant ferromagnet-type transition in the concentrated one. Hence, the EB properties of the two samples have been discussed in consideration of such peculiarities of the magnetic behavior and highlighting the role of the Mn matrix.     

类钙钛矿化合物Ca（Mn2Cu1）Mn4O12的磁性与磁电阻效应

利用固相反应法制备了名义成分为Ca(Mn2Cu1)Mn4O12的类钙钛矿锰氧化物.x射线衍射表明，为了获得较为致密的样品和减小杂相含量，可以采用高温烧结再在1073K长时间空气中退火的制备方法.样品在低温下同时存在铁磁相和反铁磁相，由于反铁磁相的存在导致样品在4.5K时的磁化强度显著降低，并在8T的高磁场下仍未达到饱和.样品呈半导体导电性质，在85K和6T磁场下磁电阻比的最大值可达-46%. 关键词： ［AC3］(B4)O12类钙钛矿锰氧化物 庞磁电阻效应 铁磁性 反铁磁性     

Magnetoresistance in ferromagnetic shape memory alloy NiMnFeGa

The magnetoresistance (MR){=[R(H)−R(0)]/R(0)} properties in ferromagnetic shape memory alloy of NiMnFeGa ribbons and single crystals, and NiFeGa ribbons have been investigated. It is found that the NiMnFeGa melt-spun ribbon exhibited GMR effect, arising from the spin-dependent scattering from magnetic inhomogeneities consisting of antiferromagnetically coupled Mn atoms in B2 structure. In the absence of these magnetic inhomogeneities, Heusler alloys seem to show a common linear MR behavior at around 0.8T_C, regardless of sample structures. This may be explained by the s-d model. At low temperatures, conventional AMR behaviors due to the spin-orbital coupling are observed. This is most likely due to the diminished MR from s-d model because of much less spin fluctuation, and is not associated with martensite phase. MR anomaly at intermediate field (ρ_⊥>ρ_||) is also observed in single crystal samples, which may be related to unique features of Heusler alloys.     

Magnetic and transport studies on nanocrystalline Fe73.5Si13.5B8CuNb2VAl ribbon

The magnetic and the transport properties of the Fe_73.5Si_13.5B₈CuNb₂VAl nanocrystalline ribbon have been presented. The coercive field was found to increase from 0.24 to 1 Oe on lowering the temperature from 300 to 5 K. The irreversibility in the FC-ZFC was observed and the magnetization was found to follow T^3/2 law. Magnetoresistance measurements were done along the length of the ribbon and the MR of −0.07% was observed at 300 K. Cluster glass behavior was predicted by the power law.     

Tuning giant magnetoimpedance response of Fe75.5Si13.5B7Nb3Cu1 amorphous ribbon by laser ablation

An easy method of tuning the response of maximum magnetoimpedance (MI) ratio in Fe_75.5Si_13.5B₇Nb₃Cu₁ amorphous ribbons was investigated by laser ablation. In order to obtain different GMI peak positions, the stripes were ablated by laser with different separations on the surface layer of the ribbon. When the stripes were parallel (or perpendicular) to the applied magnetic field, the peak location of maximum MI ratio would drift to larger (or smaller) external field. And the shift was correlated with the spaces between stripes. The applied fields corresponding to the minimum and maximum values of peak location are 13 Oe and 49 Oe at the frequency of 15 MHz, respectively. The phenomenon can be explained by the anisotropy field induced by demagnetizing field after the laser ablation.     

Structural and magnetic properties of SmCo5.6Ti0.4 alloy

Three series of SmCo_5.6Ti_0.4 samples were prepared by quenching, melt spinning, and ball milling, respectively. Annealing at different temperatures was carried out for the three series. The influence of the processing routes on the structural and magnetic properties was systematically investigated for this alloy. The as-quenched bulk sample consisted of three phases with a rather coarse grain microstructure. Low intrinsic coercivity (_iH_c) of 0.12 T was obtained in this sample. While the as-spun ribbons and as-milled/annealed powders showed the CaCu₅-type phase (1:5) plus Th₂Zn₁₇-type phase (2:17), and the 1:5 phase plus TbCu₇-type phase (1:7), respectively, with nanograin microstructure. The _iH_c of as-spun ribbons and as-milled/annealed (700 °C for 2 h) powders was found to be 0.59 and 2.23 T, respectively. Coercivity mechanism of these as-spun ribbons is mainly of nucleation type. In the as-milled/annealed powders, the network of the nanograin boundaries is believed to provide strong pinning sites for the domain wall movement.     

Effects of substitution of Mo for Nb on less-common properties of Finemet alloys

Particular properties of Fe-Nb/Mo-Cu-B-Si rapidly quenched ribbons were examined. Apart from minor variation, no significant difference due to the Mo for Nb substitution was observed in alloy density and its annealing-induced changes. The same holds for the anisotropic thermal expansion of as-cast ribbon when annealed and for induced anisotropy when annealed under stress. The Mo-substituted ribbons show only slightly higher crystallinity and lower coercivity if annealed in inert gas ambience than in vacuum. Some diversity in surface to interior heterogeneity of the differently annealed ribbons can still be distinguished. Preserving a minor percentage of Nb together with Mo does not seem substantiated to obtain favorable soft magnetic properties of ribbons annealed in inert gas.     

Influence of Nb substitution for Fe on the magnetic and magneto-impedance properties of amorphous and annealed Fe76.5−xSi13.5B9Cu1Nbx (x=0–7) ribbons

We report a systematic study of the influence of Nb substitution for Fe on the magnetic properties and magneto-impedance (MI) effect in amorphous and annealed Fe_76.5−xSi_13.5B₉Cu₁Nb_x (x=0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7) ribbons. The amorphous ribbons were annealed at different temperatures ranging from 530 to 560 °C in vacuum for different annealing times between 5 and 20 min. We have found that for the as-quenched amorphous ribbons, the substitution of Nb for Fe first increases the saturation magnetization (M_s) and decreases the coercivity (H_c) until x=3, for which the largest M_s∼152 emu/g and the smallest H_c∼1.3 Oe are obtained, then an opposite trend is found for x>3. The largest MI ratio (ΔZ/Z∼38% at f=6 MHz) is achieved in the amorphous ribbon with x=3. A similar trend has been observed for the annealed ribbons. The most desirable magnetic properties (M_s∼156 emu/g and H_c∼1.8 Oe) and the largest MI ratio (ΔZ/Z∼221% at f=6 MHz) are achieved for the x=3 sample annealed at 540 °C for 15 min. A correlation between the microstructure, magnetic properties, and MI effect in the annealed ribbons has been established.     

Amorphous-crystalline dual-layer structures resulting from metastable liquid phase separation in(Fe₅₀Co₂₅B₁₅Si₁₀)₈₀Cu₂₀ melt-spun ribbons

(Fe50Co25B15Si10)80Cu20 ribbons are prepared by using the single-roller melt-spinning method.A dual-layer structure consisting of a(Fe,Co)-rich amorphous phase and a Cu-rich crystalline phase forms due to metastable liquid phase separation before solidification.The magnetic hysteresis loops of the as-quenched and annealed samples are measured at room temperature.It is indicated that the coercivity of the ribbon is almost zero in the as-quenched state.The crystallization leads to the increase of coercivity and decrease of saturation magnetization.     

Effect of annealing treatment on soft magnetic properties of Fe-6.5 wt% Si wide ribbons

The 25 mm wide ribbons of Fe-6.5 wt% Si alloy have been developed by melt spinning technique, showing sufficient ductility and white silver appearance. Two magnetic transitions take place at 676 and 760 °C due to the formation of B2 ordered phase and A2 disordered paramagnetic phase, respectively. The saturation magnetization of the ribbon is 17.5 kG under the applied field of 12 kG. The as-cast ribbons consist of disordered A2 structure with a low volume of B2 phases while the annealed microstructure comprises a dispersion of B2 domains in the disordered A2 matrix. The alloy shows the enhancement of the soft magnetic properties with a reduction in coercivity from 150 A/m in the as-cast state to 45 A/m in the annealed condition at 850 °C.     

磁场退火对Co基熔体抽拉丝巨磁阻抗效应的影响

对Co基熔体抽拉非晶丝进行了普通炉内退火和不同磁场强度（500 Oe,1600 Oe,4000 Oe）下的横向和纵向磁场退火,利用HP4192阻抗分析仪和Lakeshore7407VSM分析了退火态样品的巨磁阻抗（GMI）效应和软磁性能.研究结果表明,纵向磁场降低了环向各向异性,纵向磁场退火样品GMI效应降低且GMI曲线为单峰,最大阻抗变化率ΔZ/Z为131%,磁场响应灵敏度为7%/Oe;而横向磁场提高了环向畴体积,增加了环向各向异性场,导致退火样品GMI曲线随频率升高由单峰转 关键词： 非晶丝 巨磁阻抗效应 退火     

Light scattering by the surface of amorphous alloy ribbons modified by annealing and cryogenic treatment

The modification of the microrelief and structure of the surface layers of ribbons of an amorphous metal alloy based on iron and cobalt after thermal treatment at elevated and cryogenic temperatures and under the action of an external magnetic field is studied by the method of light scattering. The parameters of the surface roughness were calculated from the experimentally found indicatrices of light scattering. It is shown that heating of the metal ribbons to T=650–750 K partially relieves stresses arising in the course of the ribbon preparation and reduces the surface roughness as compared to that of freshly prepared samples. Cryogenic treatment at T=78 K increases the surface roughness, and application of a magnetic field to a ribbon causes anisotropy in the surface layer due to the magnetostrictive effect.     

Asymmetric magnetoresistance in an exchange bias Co/CoO bilayer

Magnetoresistance (MR) measurements are carried out on a Co(8 nm)/CoO(3.5 nm) bilayer in the exchange bias (EB) state prepared by molecular beam epitaxy. With the applied magnetic field parallel to the current, the EB MR curves show an asymmetric behavior about the minimum, in contrast to the symmetric one for non-EB systems. We generalize a well-known analytical expression used for the field dependence of the MR of paramagnets. Our generalization incorporates coercivity and EB in a new phenomenological MR expression. Excellent fits of the latter to the experimental MR data are achieved, showing the way to use MR techniques for the quantitative characterization of EB systems. Furthermore, the temperature dependence of the EB field obtained from MR loops can be described with a power law, which yields a value of 96.6 K for the EB blocking temperature, which is significantly below the Néel temperature of 293 K for bulk CoO.     

Mössbauer study of the in-plane anisotropy in annealed amorphous Fe81B13.5Si3.5C2 ribbons

Mössbauer spectra of amorphous Fe₈₁B_13.5Si_3.5C₂ ribbons (METGLAS 2605 SC) annealed in transverse magnetic field at 594 and 654 K were recorded for various orientations of the ribbons. It is determined that the in-plane projection of the anisotropy is 17° off the transverse axis for the 594 K annealed specimen and 10° off the transverse axis for the 654 K specimen.