Ni/Ni3C Core-Shell Nanochains and Its Magnetic Properties: One-Step Synthesis at low temperature

TL;DR

This paper reports a simple low-temperature method to synthesize Ni/Ni3C core-shell nanochains with enhanced magnetic coercivity, offering insights into their structure and potential multifunctionality for magnetic applications.

Contribution

A novel one-step chemical synthesis of Ni/Ni3C core-shell nanochains with controlled structure and enhanced magnetic properties.

Findings

Nanochains have a diameter of ~30 nm with Ni3C shells 1-4 nm thick.

Coercivity is significantly increased to 600 Oe at 5 K.

The structure enables study of magnetization reversal mechanisms.

Abstract

One-dimensional Ni/Ni3C core-shell nanoball chains with an average diameter by around 30 nm were synthesized by means of a mild chemical solution method using a soft template of trioctylphosphineoxide (TOPO). It was revealed that the uniform Ni nanochains were capped with Ni3C thin shells by about 1 to 4 nm in thickness and each Ni core consists of polygrains. The coercivity of the core-shell nanochains is much enhanced (600 Oe at 5 K) and comparable with single Ni nanowires due to the one-dimensional shape anisotropy. Deriving from the distinctive structure of Ni core and Ni3C shell, this architecture may possess a possible bi-functionality. This unique architecture is also useful for the study on the magnetization reversal mechanism of one-dimensional magnetic nanostructure.