Surface Energy Driven Grain Growth Model: FePt L10 Nanoparticles

TL;DR

This paper introduces a surface energy-based grain growth model for FePt L10 nanoparticles, predicting shape and size evolution driven by surface energy minimization, enabling tailored magnetic grain properties.

Contribution

A novel surface energy-driven model for grain growth in FePt nanoparticles that predicts shape and size based on atomic and compositional factors.

Findings

Growth directions align with symmetry planes due to surface energy minimization.

Model can predict grain shape and size as functions of atomic number and composition.

Surface and boundary tailoring can manipulate magnetic grain morphology.

Abstract

We developed a grain growth model that is based on the energy minimisation of surfaces with respect to the volume energy and the grain's environment. We used the well-known FePt L1$_\text{0}$ system to discover the physical factors that drive the shape and size of FePt grains. It was found that the preferred growth directions are along symmetry planes that are determined by the basic crystal and driven by surface energy minimisation. The model developed here can be used to predict a grain's growth and shape as a function of atomic number and composition. This means that by tailoring a grain's surface and grain boundaries the shape of the magnetic grains can be manipulated.