Micromagnetic simulation of neutron scattering from spherical nanoparticles: Effect of pore-type defects

TL;DR

This paper uses micromagnetic simulations to analyze how pore-type defects influence neutron scattering in spherical magnetic nanoparticles, providing insights for experimental interpretation.

Contribution

It introduces a comprehensive micromagnetic model that incorporates various magnetic interactions and defect effects to predict neutron scattering signatures.

Findings

Pore-type defects significantly alter scattering patterns.

Dipolar interactions play a crucial role in the scattering signal.

Particle size distribution affects the scattering results.

Abstract

We employ micromagnetic simulations to model the effect of pore-type microstructural defects on the magnetic small-angle neutron scattering cross section and the related pair-distance distribution function of spherical magnetic nanoparticles. Our expression for the magnetic energy takes into account the isotropic exchange interaction, the magnetocrystalline anisotropy, the dipolar interaction, and an externally applied magnetic field. The signatures of the defects and the role of the dipolar energy are highlighted and the effect of a particle-size distribution is studied. The results serve as a guideline to the experimentalist.