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Condensed Matter Physics

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Articles 91 - 120 of 216

Full-Text Articles in Engineering Physics

Quantum Phase Transition And Ferromagnetism In Co1+XSn, Rabindra Pahari, Balamurugan Balasubramanian, Rohit Pathak, Manh Coung Nguyen, Shah R. Valloppilly, Ralph Skomski, Arti Kashyap, Cai-Zhuang Wang, Kai-Ming Ho, George C. Hadjipanayis, David J. Sellmyer Jan 2019

Quantum Phase Transition And Ferromagnetism In Co1+XSn, Rabindra Pahari, Balamurugan Balasubramanian, Rohit Pathak, Manh Coung Nguyen, Shah R. Valloppilly, Ralph Skomski, Arti Kashyap, Cai-Zhuang Wang, Kai-Ming Ho, George C. Hadjipanayis, David J. Sellmyer

Nebraska Center for Materials and Nanoscience: Faculty Publications

The onset of ferromagnetism in cobalt-tin alloys is investigated experimentally and theoretically. The Co1+xSn alloys were prepared by rapid quenching from the melt and form a modified hexagonal NiAs-type crystal structure for 0.45 ≤ x ≤ 1. The magnetic behavior is described analytically and by density-functional theory using supercells and the coherent-potential approximation. The excess of Co concentration x, which enters the interstitial 2d sites in the hypothetical NiAs-ordered parent alloy CoSn, yields a Griffiths-like phase and, above a quantum critical point (xc ≈ 0.65), a quantum phase …


Straintronic Nanomagnetic Devices For Non-Boolean Computing, Md Ahsanul Abeed Jan 2019

Straintronic Nanomagnetic Devices For Non-Boolean Computing, Md Ahsanul Abeed

Theses and Dissertations

Nanomagnetic devices have been projected as an alternative to transistor-based switching devices due to their non-volatility and potentially superior energy-efficiency. The energy efficiency is enhanced by the use of straintronics which involves the application of a voltage to a piezoelectric layer to generate a strain which is ultimately transferred to an elastically coupled magnetostrictive nanomaget, causing magnetization rotation. The low energy dissipation and non-volatility characteristics make straintronic nanomagnets very attractive for both Boolean and non-Boolean computing applications. There was relatively little research on straintronic switching in devices built with real nanomagnets that invariably have defects and imperfections, or their adaptation …


Unusual Perpendicular Anisotropy In Co2Tisi Films, Yunlong Jin, Shah R. Valloppilly, Parashu R. Kharel, Rohit Pathak, Arti Kashyap, Ralph Skomski, David J. Sellmyer Jan 2019

Unusual Perpendicular Anisotropy In Co2Tisi Films, Yunlong Jin, Shah R. Valloppilly, Parashu R. Kharel, Rohit Pathak, Arti Kashyap, Ralph Skomski, David J. Sellmyer

David Sellmyer Publications

Thin films of Co2TiSi on MgO are investigated experimentally and theoretically. The films were produced by magnetron sputtering on MgO(001) and have a thickness of about 100 nm. As bulk Co2TiSi, they crystallize in the normal cubic Heusler (L21) structure, but the films are slightly distorted (c/a = 1.0014) and contain some antisite disorder. The films exhibit a robust perpendicular anisotropy of 0.5 MJ m3. This result is surprising for several reasons. First, surface and interface anisotropies are too small to explain perpendicular anisotropy in such rather thick …


Noncollinear Spin Structure In Fe3+Xco3−Xti2 (X = 0, 2, 3) From Neutron Diffraction, Haohan Wang, Balamurugan Balamurugan, Rabindra Pahari, Ralph Skomski, Yaohua Liu, Ashfia Huq, D. J. Sellmyer, Xiaoshan Xu Jan 2019

Noncollinear Spin Structure In Fe3+Xco3−Xti2 (X = 0, 2, 3) From Neutron Diffraction, Haohan Wang, Balamurugan Balamurugan, Rabindra Pahari, Ralph Skomski, Yaohua Liu, Ashfia Huq, D. J. Sellmyer, Xiaoshan Xu

Xiaoshan Xu Papers

Neutron powder diffraction has been used to investigate the spin structure of the hard-magnetic alloy Fe3+xCo3−xTi2 (x = 0, 2, 3). The materials are produced by rapid quenching from the melt, they possess a hexagonal crystal structure, and they are nanocrystalline with crystallite sizes D of the order of 40 nm. Projections of the magnetic moment onto both the crystalline c axis and the basal plane were observed. The corresponding misalignment angle exhibits a nonlinear decrease with x, which we explain as a micromagnetic effect caused by Fe-Co site disorder. The underlying physics is a …


Crystal Structure, Magnetism And Magnetocaloric Properties Of Mn2−XSn0.5Ga0.5 (X=0, 0.3, 0.5, 0.8) Alloys, H. Qian, Rabindra Pahari, K. Schroeder, Shah R. Valloppilly, Y. Huh, Pavel V. Lukashev, J. Hu, Parashu Kharel, David J. Sellmyer Jan 2019

Crystal Structure, Magnetism And Magnetocaloric Properties Of Mn2−XSn0.5Ga0.5 (X=0, 0.3, 0.5, 0.8) Alloys, H. Qian, Rabindra Pahari, K. Schroeder, Shah R. Valloppilly, Y. Huh, Pavel V. Lukashev, J. Hu, Parashu Kharel, David J. Sellmyer

Nebraska Center for Materials and Nanoscience: Faculty Publications

Magnetic refrigeration based on the magnetocaloric effect has attracted recent attention due to advantages such as high efficiency and environmental friendliness. We have investigated the structural, magnetic and magnetocaloric properties of Mn2−xSn0.5Ga0.5 (x=0, 0.3, 0.5, 0.8) alloys prepared using arc-melting and meltspinning techniques with prospects for magnetic refrigeration. The Mn2−xSn0.5Ga0.5 alloys, except for Mn1.2Sn0.5Ga0.5, have a single-phase hexagonal crystal structure. The Mn1.2Sn0.5Ga0.5 alloy also contains a small amount of MnSn2 impurity phase. The Curie temperature and high-field (30 kOe) …


Magnetoelectric Memory Cells With Domain-Wall-Mediated Switching, Kirill Belashchenko, Oleg Tchernyshyov, Alexey Kovalev, Dmitri Nikonov Oct 2018

Magnetoelectric Memory Cells With Domain-Wall-Mediated Switching, Kirill Belashchenko, Oleg Tchernyshyov, Alexey Kovalev, Dmitri Nikonov

Kirill Belashchenko Publications

A magnetoelectric memory cell with domain - wall - mediated switching is implemented using a split gate architecture . The split gate architecture allows a domain wall to be trapped within a magnetoelectric antiferromagnetic ( MEAF ) active layer . An extension of this architecture applies to multiple gate linear arrays that can offer advantages in memory density , programmability , and logic functionality . Applying a small anisotropic in - plane shear strain to the MEAF can block domain wall precession to improve reliability and speed of switching


Large T1 Contrast Enhancement Using Superparamagnetic Nanoparticles In Ultra-Low Field Mri, Xiaolu Yin, Stephen E. Russek, Gary Zabow, Fan Sun, Jeotikatan Mohapatra, Kathryn E. Keenan, Michael A. Boss, Hao Zeng, J. Ping Liu, Alexandrea Viert, Sy-Hwang Liou, John Moreland Aug 2018

Large T1 Contrast Enhancement Using Superparamagnetic Nanoparticles In Ultra-Low Field Mri, Xiaolu Yin, Stephen E. Russek, Gary Zabow, Fan Sun, Jeotikatan Mohapatra, Kathryn E. Keenan, Michael A. Boss, Hao Zeng, J. Ping Liu, Alexandrea Viert, Sy-Hwang Liou, John Moreland

Nebraska Center for Materials and Nanoscience: Faculty Publications

Superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIONs) are widely investigated and utilized as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) contrast and therapy agents due to their large magnetic moments. Local field inhomogeneities caused by these high magnetic moments are used to generate T2 contrast in clinical high-field MRI, resulting in signal loss (darker contrast). Here we present strong T1 contrast enhancement (brighter contrast) from SPIONs (diameters from 11 nm to 22 nm) as observed in the ultra-low field (ULF) MRI at 0.13 mT. We have achieved a high longitudinal relaxivity for 18 nm SPION solutions, r1 = 615 s−1 mM−1, which is two …


Laser-Induced Recoverable Surface Patterning On Ni50ti50 Shape Memory Alloys, Saidjafarzoda Ilhom Jul 2018

Laser-Induced Recoverable Surface Patterning On Ni50ti50 Shape Memory Alloys, Saidjafarzoda Ilhom

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Shape memory alloys (SMAs) are a unique class of smart materials exhibiting extraordinary properties with a wide range of applications in engineering, biomedical, and aerospace technologies. In this study, an advanced, efficient, low-cost, and highly scalable laser-assisted imprinting method with low environmental impact to create thermally controllable surface patterns is reported. Two different imprinting methods were carried out mainly on Ni50Ti50 (at. %) SMAs by using a nanosecond pulsed Nd:YAG laser operating at 1064 nm wavelength and 10 Hz frequency. First, laser pulses at selected fluences were directly focused on the NiTi surface, which generated pressure pulses of up to …


Modeling Recombination In Solar Cells, Paul Chery Jun 2018

Modeling Recombination In Solar Cells, Paul Chery

Macalester Journal of Physics and Astronomy

Solar cells are a competitive alternative to nonrenewable energy sources such as fossil fuels. However, the efficiency of these devices is limited by photogenerated carrier recombination. We use a finite difference numerical model to study recombination phenomena in the absorber layer of solar cells including alternate recombination models and the effects of spatial distribution of recombination centers. We compare the effect of using the constant lifetime approximation for recombination to the full Shockley-Read-Hall expression in Silicon solar cells and find that the constant lifetime approximation holds for high defect densities but not for high photon flux densities. Finally, we simulate …


Measuring The Double Layer Capacitance Of Electrolytes With Varied Concentrations, Geoffrey Rath May 2018

Measuring The Double Layer Capacitance Of Electrolytes With Varied Concentrations, Geoffrey Rath

Senior Theses

When electric potentials are applied from an electrolytic fluid to a metal, a double layer capacitor, Cdl, develops at the interface. The layer directly at the interface is called the Stern layer and has a thickness equal to roughly the size of the ions in the fluid. The next layer, the diffuse layer, arises from the gathering of like charges in the Stern layer. This layer is the distance needed for ionic charges to return to equilibrium. This distance, called the Debye length, λ, depends on the square root of the electrolyte concentration. To study the properties of …


Magnetic Anisotropy And Exchange Bias In L10 Fept/Nio Bilayer Thin Films, Zachary B. Leuty May 2018

Magnetic Anisotropy And Exchange Bias In L10 Fept/Nio Bilayer Thin Films, Zachary B. Leuty

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

Perpendicular exchange bias (PEB), particularly when it persists in nanomaterials to room temperature, is highly useful for applications in spintronic devices and for advancing the development of high-information-density magnetic random access memory. A complete mechanistic and theoretical understanding of exchange bias has evaded scientists. The quest to discover novel materials for magnetic and spintronic device applications has stimulated investigation into nanomaterials having optimal and/or tailored magnetic properties that are based on the exchange bias effect. In this study, pulsed laser deposition was used to grow epitaxial PEB systems of ferromagnetic FePt thin film layers that are interfaced with antiferromagnetic NiO …


Nanostructural Origin Of Semiconductivity And Large Magnetoresistance In Epitaxial Nico2O4/Al2O3 Thin Films, Congmian Zhen, Xiaozhe Zhang, Wengang Wei, Wenzhe Guo, Ankit Pant, Xiaoshan Xu, Jian Shen, Li Ma, Denglu Hou Mar 2018

Nanostructural Origin Of Semiconductivity And Large Magnetoresistance In Epitaxial Nico2O4/Al2O3 Thin Films, Congmian Zhen, Xiaozhe Zhang, Wengang Wei, Wenzhe Guo, Ankit Pant, Xiaoshan Xu, Jian Shen, Li Ma, Denglu Hou

Xiaoshan Xu Papers

Despite low resistivity (~1 mΩ cm), metallic electrical transport has not been commonly observed in inverse spinel NiCo2O4, except in certain epitaxial thin films. Previous studies have stressed the effect of valence mixing and the degree of spinel inversion on the electrical conduction of NiCo2O4 films. In this work, we studied the effect of nanostructural disorder by comparing the NiCo2O4 epitaxial films grown on MgAl2O4 (1 1 1) and on Al2O3 (0 0 1) substrates. Although the optimal growth conditions are similar for the …


Structure And Magnetism Of Mn5ge3 Nanoparticles, Onur Tosun, Mohammed Salehi-Fashami, Balamurugan Balasubramanian, Ralph Skomski, David J. Sellmyer, George C. Hadjipanayis Jan 2018

Structure And Magnetism Of Mn5ge3 Nanoparticles, Onur Tosun, Mohammed Salehi-Fashami, Balamurugan Balasubramanian, Ralph Skomski, David J. Sellmyer, George C. Hadjipanayis

Nebraska Center for Materials and Nanoscience: Faculty Publications

In this work, we investigated the magnetic and structural properties of isolated Mn5Ge3 nanoparticles prepared by the cluster-beam deposition technique. Particles with sizes between 7.2 and 12.6 nm were produced by varying the argon pressure and power in the cluster gun. X-ray diffraction (XRD)and selected area diffraction (SAD) measurements show that the nanoparticles crystallize in the hexagonal Mn5Si3-type crystal structure, which is also the structure of bulk Mn5Ge3. The temperature dependence of the magnetization shows that the as-made particles are ferromagnetic at room temperature and have slightly different Curie …


Structural, Magnetic, And Electron-Transport Properties Of Epitaxial Mn2Ptsn Films, Y. Jin, Shah R. Valloppilly, Parashu Kharel, Jace Waybright, Pavel V. Lukashev, Xingzhong Li, David J. Sellmyer Jan 2018

Structural, Magnetic, And Electron-Transport Properties Of Epitaxial Mn2Ptsn Films, Y. Jin, Shah R. Valloppilly, Parashu Kharel, Jace Waybright, Pavel V. Lukashev, Xingzhong Li, David J. Sellmyer

Nebraska Center for Materials and Nanoscience: Faculty Publications

The growth of new magnetic materials on suitable insulating substrates is an important part of the development of spin-electronics devices for memory or information processing. Epitaxial thin films of Mn2PtSn were grown on a MgO [001] substrate by magnetron co-sputtering of the constituents. Structural, magnetic, and electron-transport properties were investigated. The epitaxial Mn2PtSn film has an inverse tetragonal structure with the c-axis aligned in the plane of the MgO substrate. The lattice constants determined using XRD and TEM analysis are c=6.124Å and a=b=4.505Å. The orientation of Mn2PtSn c-axis which …


A Brief Review Of Ferroelectric Control Of Magnetoresistance In Organic Spin Valves, Xiaoshan Xu Jan 2018

A Brief Review Of Ferroelectric Control Of Magnetoresistance In Organic Spin Valves, Xiaoshan Xu

Xiaoshan Xu Papers

Magnetoelectric coupling has been a trending research topic in both organic and inorganic materials and hybrids. The concept of controlling magnetism using an electric field is particularly appealing in energy efficient applications. In this spirit, ferroelectricity has been introduced to organic spin valves to manipulate the magneto transport, where the spin transport through the ferromagnet/organic spacer interfaces (spinterface) are under intensive study. The ferroelectric materials in the organic spin valves provide a knob to vary the interfacial energy alignment and the interfacial crystal structures, both are critical for the spin transport. In this review, we introduce the recent efforts of …


Towards A Strong Spin–Orbit Coupling Magnetoelectric Transistor, Peter Dowben, Christian Binek, Kai Zhang, Lu Wang, Wai-Ning Mei, Jonathan P. Bird, Uttam Singisetti, Xia Hong, Kang L. Wang, Dmitri Nikonov Jan 2018

Towards A Strong Spin–Orbit Coupling Magnetoelectric Transistor, Peter Dowben, Christian Binek, Kai Zhang, Lu Wang, Wai-Ning Mei, Jonathan P. Bird, Uttam Singisetti, Xia Hong, Kang L. Wang, Dmitri Nikonov

Peter Dowben Publications

Here, we outline magnetoelectric (ME) device concepts based on the voltage control of the interface magnetism of an ME antiferromagnet gate dielectric formed on a very thin semiconductor channel with large spin–orbit coupling (SOC). The emphasis of the ME spin field-effect transistors (ME spin FET) is on an antiferromagnet spin–orbit read logic device and a ME spin-FET multiplexer. Both spin-FET schemes exploit the strong SOC in the semiconducting channel materials but remain dependent on the voltage-induced switching of an ME, so that the switching time is limited only by the switching dynamics of the ME. The induced exchange field spin …


Honeycomb Lattice Na2iro3 At High Pressures: A Robust Spin-Orbit Mott Insulator, Xiaoxiang Xi, Xiangyan Bo, X. S. Xu, P. P. Kong, Z. Liu, X. G. Hong, C. Q. Jin, G. Cao, Xiangang Wan, G. L. Carr Jan 2018

Honeycomb Lattice Na2iro3 At High Pressures: A Robust Spin-Orbit Mott Insulator, Xiaoxiang Xi, Xiangyan Bo, X. S. Xu, P. P. Kong, Z. Liu, X. G. Hong, C. Q. Jin, G. Cao, Xiangang Wan, G. L. Carr

Xiaoshan Xu Papers

The honeycomb iridate Na2IrO3 has received much attention as a candidate to realize a quantum spin liquid state, but the nature of its insulating state remains controversial. We found that the material exhibits structural transitions at 3 and 10 GPa. The former is accompanied by 166-meV suppression of the activation gap, but the energies for the low-lying interband transitions change by less than 10 meV. This can be reconciled in a picture in which the application of high pressure barely shifts the electronic bands, but rather merely broadens them. First-principles calculations uncover a strong correlation between the …


Tuning The Neel Temperature Of Hexagonal Ferrites By Structural Distortion, Kishan Sinha, Haohan Wang, Xiao Wang, Liying Zhou, Yuewei Yin, Wenbin Wang, Xuemei Cheng, David J. Keavney, Huibo Cao, Yaohua Liu, Xifan Wu, Xiaoshan Xu Jan 2018

Tuning The Neel Temperature Of Hexagonal Ferrites By Structural Distortion, Kishan Sinha, Haohan Wang, Xiao Wang, Liying Zhou, Yuewei Yin, Wenbin Wang, Xuemei Cheng, David J. Keavney, Huibo Cao, Yaohua Liu, Xifan Wu, Xiaoshan Xu

Xiaoshan Xu Papers

To tune the magnetic properties of hexagonal ferrites, a family of magnetoelectric multiferroic materials, by atomic-scale structural engineering, we studied the effect of structural distortion on the magnetic ordering temperature (TN) in these materials. Using the symmetry analysis, we show that unlike most antiferromagnetic rare-earth transition-metal perovskites, a larger structural distortion leads to a higher TN in hexagonal ferrites and manganites, because the K3 structural distortion induces the three-dimensional magnetic ordering, which is forbidden in the undistorted structure by symmetry. We also revealed a nearlinear relation between TN and the tolerance factor and a …


Saw Assisted Domain Wall Motion In Co/Pt Multilayers, Westin Edrington, Uday Singh, Maya Abo Dominguez, James Rehwaldt Alexander, Rabindra Nepal, Shireen Adenwalla Jan 2018

Saw Assisted Domain Wall Motion In Co/Pt Multilayers, Westin Edrington, Uday Singh, Maya Abo Dominguez, James Rehwaldt Alexander, Rabindra Nepal, Shireen Adenwalla

Shireen Adenwalla Papers

The motion of domain walls in thin ferromagnetic films is of both fundamental and technological interest. In particular, the ability to use drivers other than magnetic fields to control the positions of domain walls could be exciting for memory applications. Here, we show that high frequency dynamic strain produced by surface acoustic waves is an efficient driver of magnetic domain walls in ferromagnetic films with perpendicular anisotropy. A standing surface acoustic wave of resonant frequency 96.6MHz increases the domain wall velocities in thin films of [Co/Pt]n by an order of magnitude compared to magnetic fields alone. This effect is highly …


Magnetism Of New Metastable Cobalt-Nitride Compounds, Balamuruga Balamurugan, Xin Zhao, Shah R. Valloppilly, Sumit Beniwal, Ralph Skomski, Anandakumar Sarella, Yunlong Jin, Xingzhong Li, Xiaoshan Xu, Huibo Cao, Haohan Wang, Axel Enders, Cai-Zhuang Wang, Kai-Ming Ho, David J. Sellmyer Jan 2018

Magnetism Of New Metastable Cobalt-Nitride Compounds, Balamuruga Balamurugan, Xin Zhao, Shah R. Valloppilly, Sumit Beniwal, Ralph Skomski, Anandakumar Sarella, Yunlong Jin, Xingzhong Li, Xiaoshan Xu, Huibo Cao, Haohan Wang, Axel Enders, Cai-Zhuang Wang, Kai-Ming Ho, David J. Sellmyer

Nebraska Center for Materials and Nanoscience: Faculty Publications

The search for new magnetic materials with high magnetization and magnetocrystalline anisotropy is important for a wide range of applications including information and energy processing. There is only a limited number of naturally occurring magnetic compounds that are suitable. This situation stimulates an exploration of new phases that occur far from thermal-equilibrium conditions, but their stabilization is generally inhibited due to high positive formation energies. Here a nanocluster-deposition method has enabled the discovery of a set of new non-equilibrium Co-N intermetallic compounds. The experimental search was assisted by computational methods including adaptive-genetic-algorithm and electronic- structure calculations. Conventional wisdom is that …


Magnetocrystalline Anisotropy Of "-Fe2o3, Imran Ahamed, Rohilt Pathak, Arti Kashyap Dec 2017

Magnetocrystalline Anisotropy Of "-Fe2o3, Imran Ahamed, Rohilt Pathak, Arti Kashyap

Nebraska Center for Materials and Nanoscience: Faculty Publications

The epsilon Fe2O3 phase of iron oxide has been studied to understand the spin structure and the magnetocrystalline anisotropy in the bulk and in thin films of "-Fe2O3 and Co-doped "-Fe2O3. The preferential magnetization direction in the nanoparticles of "-Fe2O3 is along the a-axis [M. Gich et al., Chem. Mater. 18, 3889 (2006)]. Compared to the bulk band gap of 1.9 eV, the thin-film band gap is reduced to 1.3 eV in the Co-free films and to 0.7 eV in the film with partial …


Texture Development And Coercivity Enhancement In Cast Alnico 9 Magnets, Wenyong Zhang, Shah Valloppilly, Xingzhong Li, Lanping Yue, Ralph Skomski, Iver Anderson, Matthew Kramer, Wei Tang, Jeff Shield, David J. Sellmyer Dec 2017

Texture Development And Coercivity Enhancement In Cast Alnico 9 Magnets, Wenyong Zhang, Shah Valloppilly, Xingzhong Li, Lanping Yue, Ralph Skomski, Iver Anderson, Matthew Kramer, Wei Tang, Jeff Shield, David J. Sellmyer

Nebraska Center for Materials and Nanoscience: Faculty Publications

The effect of Y addition and magnetic field on texture and magnetic properties of arc-melted alnico 9 magnets has been investigated. Small additions of Y (1.5 wt.%) develop a (200) texture for the arc-melted alnico 9 magnet. Such a texture is hard to form in cast samples. To achieve this goal, we set up a high-field annealing system with a maximum operation temperature of 12500 C. This system enabled annealing in a field of 45 kOe with subsequent draw annealing for the solutionized buttons; we have been able to substantially increase remanence ratio and coercivity, from 0.70 and 1200 …


Artificial Olfactory System For Multi-Component Analysis Of Gas Mixtures., Alexander Aleksandrovich Larin Dec 2017

Artificial Olfactory System For Multi-Component Analysis Of Gas Mixtures., Alexander Aleksandrovich Larin

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Gas analysis is an important part of our world and gas sensing technology is becoming more essential for various aspects of our life. A novel approach for gas mixture analysis by using portable gas chromatography in combination with an array of highly integrated and selective metal oxide (MOX) sensors has been studied. We developed a system with small size (7 x 13 x 16 inches), low power consumption (~10 W) and absence of special carrier gases designed for portable field analysis (assuming apriori calibration). Low ppb and even sub-ppb level of detection for some VOCs was achieved during the analysis …


Novel Half-Metallic And Spin-Gapless Heusler Compounds, Yunlong Jin Aug 2017

Novel Half-Metallic And Spin-Gapless Heusler Compounds, Yunlong Jin

Department of Physics and Astronomy: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

This thesis is devoted to experimental studies of Heusler compounds CoFeCrAl, CoFeCrX (X = Si, Ge) and Mn2PtSn. These Heusler alloys present an interesting class of ferromagnetic materials for spintronic applications since they are predicted to be spin gapless semiconductors and have half-metallic properties with 100 % spin polarization at the Fermi level. In this thesis, the structural, magnetic, spin-polarization and electron- transport properties of the fabricated alloys were studied. CoFeCrAl thin films deposited on MgO exhibit nearly perfect epitaxy and a high degree of L21 Heusler order. All considered types of chemical disorder destroy the spin-gapless …


Simulation Of Alnico Coercivity, Liqin Ke, Ralph Skomski, Todd D. Hoffman, Lin Zhoue, Wei Tang, Duane D. Johnson, Matthew J. Kramer, Iver E. Anderson, C.Z. Wang Jul 2017

Simulation Of Alnico Coercivity, Liqin Ke, Ralph Skomski, Todd D. Hoffman, Lin Zhoue, Wei Tang, Duane D. Johnson, Matthew J. Kramer, Iver E. Anderson, C.Z. Wang

Nebraska Center for Materials and Nanoscience: Faculty Publications

Micromagnetic simulations of alnico show substantial deviations from Stoner-Wohlfarth behavior due to the unique size and spatial distribution of the rod-like Fe-Co phase formed during spinodal decomposition in an external magnetic field. The maximum coercivity is limited by single-rod effects, especially deviations from ellipsoidal shape, and by interactions between the rods. Both the exchange interaction between connected rods and magnetostatic interaction between rods are considered, and the results of our calculations show good agreement with recent experiments. Unlike systems dominated by magnetocrystalline anisotropy, coercivity in alnico is highly dependent on size, shape, and geometric distribution of the Fe-Co phase, all …


Effect Of Disorder On The Resistivity Of Cofecral Films, Y. Jin, R. Skomski, P. Kharel, S.R. Valloppilly, D. J. Sellmyer Mar 2017

Effect Of Disorder On The Resistivity Of Cofecral Films, Y. Jin, R. Skomski, P. Kharel, S.R. Valloppilly, D. J. Sellmyer

Nebraska Center for Materials and Nanoscience: Faculty Publications

Structural and electron-transport properties of thin films of the ferrimagnetic Heusler compound CoFeCrAl have been investigated to elucidate structure-property relationships. The alloy is, ideally, a spin-gapless semiconductor, but structural disorder destroys the spin-gapless character and drastically alters the transport behavior. Two types of CoFeCrAl films were grown by magnetron sputtering deposition at 973 K, namely polycrystalline films on Si substrates and epitaxial films on MgO (001) substrates. The resistivity decreases with increasing temperature, with relatively small temperature coefficients of –0.19 cm=K for the polycrystalline films and –0.12 cm=K for the epitaxial films. The residual resistivity of the polycrystalline films deposited …


Designing Novel Nanostructured Permanent Magnets, Ali Al Kadhim Mar 2017

Designing Novel Nanostructured Permanent Magnets, Ali Al Kadhim

UNO Student Research and Creative Activity Fair

Rare earth element based alloys have been the source of high performance magnetic alloys, and have played a paramount role in the development of various technologies, including: memory devices (such as credit cards, random-access memory), sensors, and various biomedical applications. However, there is a tremendous need to replace rare earth metals with material with powerful magnetic properties. Our group recently found CrTe-based materials that show very promising magnetic properties in nanostructured form. The magnetic modeling of such material in nanostructured form prior to their fabrication demonstrates their magnetic properties in bulk form. In this project, we investigate the behavior of …


Half-Metallic Magnetism In Ti3co5-Xfexb2, Rohit Pathak, Imran Ahamed, W. Y. Zhang, Shah Vallopilly, D. J. Sellmyer, Ralph Skomski, Arti Kashyap Feb 2017

Half-Metallic Magnetism In Ti3co5-Xfexb2, Rohit Pathak, Imran Ahamed, W. Y. Zhang, Shah Vallopilly, D. J. Sellmyer, Ralph Skomski, Arti Kashyap

Nebraska Center for Materials and Nanoscience: Faculty Publications

Bulk alloys and thin films of Fe-substituted Ti3Co5B2 have been investigated by first-principle density-functional calculations. The series, which is of interest in the context of alnico magnetism and spin electronics, has been experimentally realized in nanostructures but not in the bulk. Our bulk calculations predict paramagnetism for Ti3Co5B2, Ti3Co4FeB2 and Ti3CoFe4B2, whereas Ti3Fe5B2 is predicted to be ferromagnetic. The thin films are all ferromagnetic, indicating that moment formation may be facilitated at nanostructural …


Cooperative And Noncooperative Magnetization Reversal In Alnicos, Raplh Skomski, Liqin Ke, Matthew J. Kramer, Iver E. Anderson, C.Z. Wang, W.Y. Zhang, Jeff E. Shield, D. J. Sellmyer Feb 2017

Cooperative And Noncooperative Magnetization Reversal In Alnicos, Raplh Skomski, Liqin Ke, Matthew J. Kramer, Iver E. Anderson, C.Z. Wang, W.Y. Zhang, Jeff E. Shield, D. J. Sellmyer

Nebraska Center for Materials and Nanoscience: Faculty Publications

It is investigated how magnetostatic interactions affect the coercivity of alnicotype magnets. Starting from exact micromagnetic relations, we analyze two limits, namely cooperative reversal processes operative on short lengths scales and noncooperative reversal processes on long length scales. In alnicos, intrawire interactions are predominantly cooperative, whereas interwire effects are typically noncooperative. However, the transition between the regimes depends on feature size and hysteresis-loop shape, and interwire cooperative effects are largest for nearly rectangular loops. Our analysis revises the common shape-anisotropy interpretation of alnicos.


Epitaxial Strain Controlled Magnetocrystalline Anisotropy In Ultrathin Ferh/Mgo Bilayers, Guohul Zheng, San-Huang Ke, Maosheng Miao, Jinwoong Kim, R, Ramesh, Nicholas Kioussis Jan 2017

Epitaxial Strain Controlled Magnetocrystalline Anisotropy In Ultrathin Ferh/Mgo Bilayers, Guohul Zheng, San-Huang Ke, Maosheng Miao, Jinwoong Kim, R, Ramesh, Nicholas Kioussis

Nebraska Center for Materials and Nanoscience: Faculty Publications

Using ab initio electronic structure calculations we have investigated the effect of epitazial strain on the magnetocrystalline anisotropy (MCA) of ultrathin FeRh/MgO heterostructures. Analysis of the energy- and k-resolved distribution of the orbital character of the band structure reveals that MCA largely arises from the spin-orbit coupling (SOC) between dx2-y2 and dxz/dyz orbitlas of Fe atoms at the FeRh/MhO interface. We demonstrate that the strain has significant effects on the MCA: It not only affects the value of the MCA but also induces a switching of the magnetic easy axis from perpendicular on in-plane direction. The …