In this study we investigate the magnetic behavior of magnetic multi-core particles and the differences in the magnetic properties of multi-core and single-core nanoparticles and correlate the results with the nanostructure of the different particles as determined from transmission electron microscopy (TEM). We also investigate how the effective particle magnetic moment is coupled to the individual moments of the single-domain nanocrystals by using different measurement techniques: DC magnetometry, AC susceptometry, dynamic light scattering and TEM. We have studied two magnetic multi-core particle systems BNF Starch from Micromod with a median particle diameter of 100 am and FeraSpin R from nanoPET with a median particle diameter of 70 nm - and one single-core particle system - SHP25 from Ocean NanoTech with a median particle core diameter of 25 nm. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
In the present work Co2FeAl (CFA) thin films were deposited by ion beam sputtering on Si (100) substrates at the optimized deposition temperature of 300°C. A series of CFA films with different thickness (tCFA ); 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18 and 20 nm were prepared and all samples were capped with a 5 nm thick b-Ta layer. The thickness dependent static and dynamic properties of the films were studied by SQUID magnetometry, in-plane as well as out-of-plane broadband VNA-FMR measurements and angle dependent cavity FMR measurements. The saturation magnetization and the coercive field were found to be weakly thickness dependent and lie in the range 900 – 950 kA/m and 0.53 – 0.87 kA/m, respectively. The effective damping parameter ( αeff) extracted from in-plane and out-of-plane FMR results reveal a 1/tCFA dependence, the values for the in-plane αeff being larger due to two-magnon scattering (TMS). The origin of the αeff thickness dependence is spin pumping into the non-magnetic b-Ta layer and in case of the in-plane αeff also a thickness dependent TMS contribution. From the out-of-plane FMR results, it was possible to disentangle the different contributions to αeff and to the extract values for the intrinsic Gilbert damping (αG ) and the effective spin-mixing conductance (g_eff^↑↓ ) of the CFA/ b-Ta interface, yielding αG=1.1X10-3 and g_eff^↑↓=2.90x1019 m-2.
The effects of rhenium doping in the range 0-10 at.% on the static and dynamic magnetic properties of Fe65Co35 thin films have been studied experimentally as well as with first-principles electronic structure calculations focusing on the change of the saturation magnetization (M-s) and the Gilbert damping parameter (alpha). Both experimental and theoretical results show that M-s decreases with increasing Re-doping level, while at the same time alpha increases. The experimental low temperature saturation magnetic induction exhibits a 29% decrease, from 2.31 to 1.64 T, in the investigated doping concentration range, which is more than predicted by the theoretical calculations. The room temperature value of the damping parameter obtained from ferromagnetic resonance measurements, correcting for extrinsic contributions to the damping, is for the undoped sample 2.1 x 10(-3), which is close to the theoretically calculated Gilbert damping parameter. With 10 at.% Re doping, the damping parameter increases to 7.8 x 10(-3), which is in good agreement with the theoretical value of 7.3 x 10(-3). The increase in damping parameter with Re doping is explained by the increase in the density of states at the Fermi level, mostly contributed by the spin-up channel of Re. Moreover, both experimental and theoretical values for the damping parameter weakly decrease with decreasing temperature.
The effects of rhenium doping in the range 0 – 10 at% on the static and dynamic magnetic properties of Fe65Co35 thin films have been studied experimentally as well as with first principles electronic structure calculations focussing on the change of the saturation magnetization (Ms ) and the Gilbert damping parameter (α ). Both experimental and theoretical results show that Ms decreases with increasing Re doping level, while at the same time α increases. The experimental low temperature saturation magnetic induction exhibits a 29% decrease, from 2.31T to 1.64T, in the investigated doping concentration range, which is more than predicted by the theoretical calculations. The room temperature value of the damping parameter obtained from ferromagnetic resonance measurements, correcting for extrinsic contributions to the damping, is for the undoped sample 2.7X103, which is close to the Gilbert damping parameter extracted from the theoretical calculations. The room temperature experimental value for the damping parameter increases to 9X103 when doping with 10 at% Re; the corresponding increase of the Gilbert damping parameter obtained from theoretical calculations is 7.3X103. Both experimental and theoretical values for the damping parameter weakly decrease with decreasing temperature.
Fe65Co35 thin films have been deposited on SiO2 substrates using sputtering technique with different choices of seed layer; Ru, Ni82.5Fe17.5, Rh, Y and Zr. Best soft magnetic properties were observed with seed layers of Ru, Ni82.5Fe17.5 and Rh. Adding these seed layers, the coercivity of the Fe65Co35 films decreased to values of around 1.5 mT, which can be compared to the value of 12.5 mT obtained for films deposited without seed layer. Further investigations were performed on samples with these three seed layers in terms of dynamic magnetic properties, both on as prepared and annealed samples, using constant frequency cavity and broadband ferromagnetic resonance measurements. Damping parameters of around 8.0X10-3 and 4.5X10-3 were obtained from in-plane and out-of-plane measurements, respectively, for as prepared samples, values that were reduced to 6.5X10-3 and 4.0X10-3 for annealed samples.
The present work provides the first real-space analysis of nanobead-DNA coil interactions. Immobilization of oligonucleotide-functionalized magnetic nanobeads in rolling circle amplified DNA-coils was studied by complex magnetization measurements and transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and a statistical analysis of the number of beads hybridized to the DNA-coils was performed. The average number of beads per DNAcoil using the results from both methods was found to be around 6 and slightly above 2 for samples with 40 and 130 nm beads, respectively. The TEM analysis supported an earlier hypothesis that 40 nm beads are preferably immobilized in the interior of DNA-coils whereas 130 nm beads, to a larger extent, are immobilized closer to the exterior of the coils. The methodology demonstrated in the present work should open up new possibilities for characterization of interactions of a large variety of functionalized nanoparticles with macromolecules, useful for gaining more fundamental understanding of such interactions as well as for optimizing a number of biosensor applications.
Superparamagnetic iron oxide nanopartides (SPIONs) generate heat upon exposure to an alternating magnetic field (AMP), which has been studied for hyperthermia treatment and triggered drug release. This study introduces a novel application of magnetic hyperthermia to induce amorphization of a poorly aqueous soluble drug, celecoxib, in situ in tablets for oral administration. Poor aqueous solubility of many drug candidates is a major hurdle in oral drug development. A novel approach to overcome this challenge is in situ amorphization of crystalline drugs. This method facilitates amorphization by molecular dispersion of the drug in a polymeric network inside a tablet, circumventing the physical instability encountered during the manufacturing and storage of conventional amorphous solid dispersions. However, the current shortcomings of this approach include low drug loading, toxicity of excipients, and drug degradation. Here, doped SPIONs produced by flame spray pyrolysis are compacted with polyvinylpyrrolidone and celecoxib and exposed to an AMF in solid state. A design of experiments approach was used to investigate the effects of SPION composition (Zn0.5Fe2.5O4 and Mn0.5Fe2.5O4), doped SPION content (10-20 wt %), drug load (30-50 wt %), and duration of AMP (3-15 min) on the degree of drug amorphization. The degree of amorphization is strongly linked to the maximum tablet temperature achieved during the AMF exposure (r = 0.96), which depends on the SPION composition and content in the tablets. Complete amorphization is achieved with 20 wt % Mn0.5Fe2.5O4 and 30 wt % celecoxib in the tablets that reached the maximum temperature of 165.2 degrees C after 15 min of AMF exposure. Furthermore, manganese ferrite exhibits no toxicity in human intestinal Caco-2 cell lines. The resulting maximum solubility of in situ amorphized celecoxib is 5 times higher than that of crystalline celecoxib in biorelevant intestinal fluid. This demonstrates the promising capability of SPIONs as enabling excipients to magnetically induce amorphization in situ in oral dosage forms.
Polycrystalline Sr2-xLaxMnWO6 (x=0.25 and 0.5) materials have been prepared by a traditional solid state sintering method and studied by neutron powder diffraction (NPD) and magnetization measurements. Rietveld analysis of the temperature dependent NPD data shows that the compounds crystallize in monoclinic symmetry (space group P2(1)/n). The unit cell volume decreases with increasing La3+ concentration at the A site. The crystal structure contains alternating MnO6 and WO6 octahedra, considerably tilted due to the relative small size of the cations that occupy the A sublattice of the perovskite. ac and dc magnetization measurements show a destruction of the low temperature antiferromagnetic phase by electron doping through substitution of Sr2+ for La3+. The electron doping creates a mixed tungsten valence (W6+/W5+) resulting in a low temperature spin-glass state.
Structural and dynamic magnetization properties of Co2MnAl (CMA) full Heusler alloy thin films grown on Si (100) substrates at different substrate temperatures (T-s) room temperature (RT), 200 degrees C, 300 degrees C, 400 degrees C and 500 degrees C are investigated. X-ray diffraction patterns revealed the formation of B2 ordered phase. Ferromagnetic Resonance (FMR) technique have been used to investigate the dynamic magnetization response. From the observed frequency dependence of the resonance field (H-r) and line width (Delta H), the effective saturation magnetization (4 pi M-eff) and damping constant () have been evaluated. The lowest damping constant was found to be 0.007 +/- 0.002 for the film grown at T-s=200 degrees C which is comparable to the reported value.
Magnetic biosensors are promising candidates for low-cost point-of-care biodiagnostic devices. For optimal efficiency it is crucial to minimize the time and complexity of the assay protocol including target recognition, amplification, labeling and read-out. In this work, possibilities for protocol simplifications for a DNA biodetection principle relying on hybridization of magnetic nanobeads to rolling circle amplification (RCA) products are investigated. The target DNA is recognized through a padlock ligation assay resulting in DNA circles serving as templates for the RCA process. It is found that beads can be present during amplification without noticeably interfering with the enzyme used for RCA (phi29 polymerase). As a result, the bead-coil hybridization can be performed immediately after amplification in a one-step manner at elevated temperature within a few minutes prior to read-out in an AC susceptometer setup, i.e. a combined protocol approach. Moreover, by recording the phase angle xi = arctan(chi ''/chi'), where chi and chi '' are the in-phase and out-of-phase components of the AC susceptibility, respectively, at one single frequency the total assay time for the optimized combined protocol would be no more than 1.5 hours, often a relevant time frame for diagnosis of cancer and infectious disease. Also, applying the phase angle method normalization of AC susceptibility data is not needed. These findings are useful for the development of point-of-care biodiagnostic devices relying on bead-coil binding and magnetic AC susceptometry.
A lab-on-a-chip traveling wave magnetophoresis approach for sensitive and rapid protein detection is reported. In this method, a chip-based magnetic microarray comprising lines of micrometer-sized thin film magnetic elements was used to control the movement of magnetic beads (MBs). The MBs and the chip were functionalized, forming a sandwich-type assay. The MBs were transported across a detection area, and the presence of target molecules resulted in the immobilization of MBs within this area. Target quantification was accomplished by MB counting in the detection area using an optical microscope. In order to demonstrate the versatility of the microarray, biotinylated antiavidin was selected as the target protein. In this case, avidin-functionalized MBs and an avidin-functionalized detection area were used. With a total assay time of 1 to 1.5 h (depending on the labeling approach used), a limit of detection in the attomole range was achieved. Compared to on-chip surface plasmon resonance biodetection systems, our method has a larger dynamic range and is about a factor of 500 times more sensitive. Furthermore, our MB transportation system can operate in any chip-based biosensor platform, thereby significantly improving traditional biosensors.
Raman spectra, supplemented by powder x-ray diffraction and magnetization data of isovalently A- and B-site substituted BiFeO3 in the Bi1−xLaxFeO3 (0≤x≤1), Bi1−xTbxFeO3 (0≤x≤0.2), and Bi0.9Sm0.1Fe1−xMnxO3 (0≤x≤0.3) series, are presented. A good agreement between the structural transitions observed by x-ray diffraction and the vibrational modes observed in the Raman spectra is found over the whole substitutional ranges, and in particular we find spectroscopic signatures of a PbZrO3-type structure for Bi0.8La0.2FeO3. Mode assignments in the substituted materials are made based on Raman spectra of the end-members BiFeO3 and LaFeO3. Moreover, by comparing spectra from all samples with R3c structure, the phonon assignment in BiFeO3 is revisited. A close connection between the degree of octahedral tilt and the Raman shift of the A1 oxygen a−a−a− tilt mode is established. An explanation for the strong second-order scattering observed in Bi1−xLaxFeO3 and Bi1−xTbxFeO3 is suggested, including the assignment of the previously mysterious BiFeO3 mode at 620 cm−1. Finally, the magnetization data indicates a transition from a cycloidal modulated state towards a canted antiferromagnet with increasing A-site substitution, while Bi0.9Sm0.1Fe1−xMnxO3 with x=0 and 0.15 exhibit an anomalous closing of the hysteresis loop at low temperatures. For low A-site substitution levels (x≤0.1) the decreasing Raman intensity of the Fe derived modes correlates with the partial destruction of the spin cycloid as the substitution level increases.
Oxygen-deficient ferrates with the cubic perovskite structure SrxY1-xFeO3-delta were prepared in air (0.71 <= x <= 0.91) as well as in N-2 (x=0.75 and 0.79) at 1573 K. The oxygen content of the compounds prepared in air increases with increasing strontium content from 3-delta=2.79(2) for x=0.75 to 3-delta=2.83(2) for x=0.91. Refinement of the crystal structure of Sr0.25Y0.25FeO2.29 using TOP neutron powder diffraction (NPD) data shows high anisotropic atomic displacement parameter (ADP) for the oxygen atom resulting from a substantial cation and anion disorder. Electron diffraction (ED) and highresolution electron microscopy (HREM) studies of Sr0.75Y0.25FeO2.79 reveal a modulation along (1 0 0)(p) with G +/- similar to 0.4(1 0 0)(p) indicating a local ordering of oxygen vacancies. Magnetic susceptibility measurements at 5-390 K show spin-glass behaviour with dominating antiferromagnetic coupling between the magnetic moments of Fe cations. Among the studied compositions, Sr0.75Y0.25Fe02.79 shows the lowest thermal expansion coefficient (TEC) of 10.5 ppm/K in air at 298-673 K. At 773-1173 K TEC increases up to 17.2 ppm/K due to substantial reduction of oxygen content. The latter also results in a dramatic decrease of the electrical conductivity in air above 673 K. Partial substitution of Fe by Cr, Mn and Ni according to the formula Sr0.75Y0.25Fe1-yMyO3-delta (y=0.2, 0.33, 0.5) leads to cubic perovskites for all substituents with y=0.2. Their TECs are higher in comparison with un-doped Sr0.75Y0.25Fe02.79. Only M=Ni has increased electrical conductivity compared to un-doped Sr0.75Y0.25Fe02.79.
In this study we report on the film growth and characterization of thin films deposited on amorphous quartz. The experimental studies have been complemented by first-principles density-functional theory metastable Ti-Fe-C film changes. With increasing annealing time, there is a depletion of iron close to the surface of the film, while regions enriched in iron are simultaneously formed deeper into the film. Both the magnetic ordering temperature and the saturation magnetization changes significantly upon annealing. The DFT calculations show that the critical temperature and the magnetic moment both increase with increasing Fe and C-vacancy concentration. The formation of the metastable iron-rich Ti-Fe-C compound is reflected in the strong increase in the magnetic ordering temperature. Eventually, after enough annealing time nanocrystalline -Fe starts to precipitate, the amount and size of which can be controlled by the annealing procedure; after 20 min of annealing, the experimental results indicate a nanocrystalline iron-film embedded in a wear-resistant TiC compound. This conclusion is further supported by transmission electron microscopy studies on epitaxial Ti-Fe-C films deposited on single-crystalline MgO substrates where, upon annealing, an iron film embedded in TiC is formed. Our results suggest that annealing of metastable Ti-Fe-C films can be used as an efficient way of creating a wear-resistant magnetic thin film material. approximately 50-nm-thick Ti-Fe-CDFT calculations. Upon annealing of as-prepared films, the composition of the10 min, nanocrystalline -Fe starts to precipitate, the amount and size of which can be controlled by the annealing procedure; after 20 min of annealing, the experimental results indicate a nanocrystalline iron-film embedded in a wear-resistant TiC compound. This conclusion is further supported by transmission electron microscopy studies on epitaxial Ti-Fe-C films deposited on single-crystalline MgO substrates where, upon annealing, an iron film embedded in TiC is formed. Our results suggest that annealing of metastable Ti-Fe-C films can be used as an efficient way of creating a wear-resistant magnetic thin film material.
An environmentally benign synthesis of a magnetically responsive carboxymethylated cellulose nanofibril-based material is reported. Applied experimental conditions lead to the in-situ formation of magnetite nanoparticles with primary particle sizes of 2.0-4.0 nm or secondary particles of 3.6-16.4 nm depending on whether nucleation occurred between individual carboxymethylated cellulose nanofibrils, or on exposed fibril surfaces. The increase in magnetite particle size on the cellulose fibril surfaces was attributed to Ostwald ripening, while the small particles formed within the carboxymethyl cellulose aggregates were presumably due to steric interactions. The magnetite nanoparticles were capable of coordinating to carboxymethylated cellulose nanofibrils to form large "fibre-like" assemblies. The confinement of small particles within aggregates of reductive cellulose molecules was most likely responsible for excellent conservation of magnetic characteristics on storage of this material. The possibility for using the material in drug delivery applications with release rate controlled by daylight illumination is presented.
The crystal and magnetic structure of Fe5SiB2 has been studied by a combination of X-ray and neutron diffraction. Also, the magnetocrystalline anisotropy energy constant has been estimated from magnetisation measurements. High quality samples have been prepared using high temperature synthesis and subsequent heat treatment protocols. The crystal structure is tetragonal within the space group I4/mcm and the compound behaves ferromagnetically with a Curie temperature of 760 K. At 172 K a spin reorientation occurs in the compound and the magnetic moments go from aligning along the c-axis (high T) down to the ab-plane (low T). The magnetocrystalline anisotropy energy constant has been estimated to 03 MJ/m(3) at 300 K.
In this study the effects of cobalt substitutions in Fe5PB2 have been studied. An increased cobalt content reduces the magnetic exchange interactions. This has been concluded from a large, linear decrease in both the Curie temperature as well as the saturated magnetic moment. At high cobalt concentrations, cobalt prefers to order at the M(2) position in the crystal structure. A tunable Curie transition like this shows some prerequisites for magnetic cooling applications.
The substitutional effects of cobalt in (Fe1–xCox)5PB2 have been studied with respect to crystalline structure and chemical order with X-ray diffraction and Mössbauer spectroscopy. The magnetic properties have been determined from magnetic measurements, and density functional theory calculations have been performed for the magnetic properties of both the end compounds, as well as the chemically disordered intermediate compounds. The crystal structure of (Fe1–xCox)5PB2 is tetragonal (space group I4/mcm) with two different metal sites, with a preference for cobalt atoms in the M(2) position (4c) at higher cobalt contents. The substitution also affects the magnetic properties with a decrease of the Curie temperature (TC) with increasing cobalt content, from 622 to 152 K for Fe5PB2 and (Fe0.3Co0.7)5PB2, respectively. Thus, the Curie temperature is dependent on composition, and it is possible to tune TC to a temperature near room temperature, which is one prerequisite for magnetic cooling materials.
We report on the magnetization dynamics of a square array of mesoscopic disks, fabricated from an iron palladium alloy film. The dynamics properties were explored using ferromagnetic resonance measurements and micromagnetic simulations. The obtained spectra exhibit features resulting from the interactions between the disks, with a clear dependence on both temperature and the direction of the externally applied field. We demonstrate a qualitative agreement between the measured and calculated spectra. Furthermore, we calculated the mode profiles of the standing spin waves excited during time-dependent magnetic field excitations. The resulting maps confirm that the features appearing in the ferromagnetic resonance absorption spectra originate from the temperature- and directional-dependent interdisk interactions.
A series of compounds with compositions Fe5Si1-xGexB2 were synthesised and their structural and magnetic properties were investigated. The Mo5SiB2-type structure with tetragonal I4/mcm space group is maintained for all compounds with x < 0.15, which is estimated as the compositional limit of the system. The unit cell pa-rameters expand with Ge content before reaching a plateau of a = 5.5581(1) and c = 10.3545(1) angstrom at x = 0.15. The saturation magnetisation (MS) decreased slightly with increasing Ge content whilst the magnetocrystalline anisotropy energy (MAE) remains almost unaffected. The Curie temperature for all compounds studied is at 790 K whilst the spin-reorientation temperature shows suppression from 172 K to 101 K where x = 0.15. Ab Initio calculations reveal an increase in MAE for compositions up to x = 0.25 and a decreased magnitude of MAE of-0.14 MJ/m3 for the hypothetical compound Fe5GeB2 relative to the parent compound Fe5SiB2.
The classical Heisenberg model has been effective in modelling exchange interactions in molecular magnets. In this model, the partition function is important as it allows the calculation of the magnetization and susceptibility. For an ensemble of N-spin sites, this typically involves integrals in 2N dimensions. Here, for two-, three- and four- spin nearest neighbour open linear Heisenberg chains these integrals are reduced to sums of known functions, using a result due to Gegenbauer. For the case of the three- and four- spin chains, the sums are equivalent in form to the results of Joyce. The general result for an N-spin chain is also obtained.
A result is obtained, stemming from Gegenbauer, where the products of certainBessel functions and exponentials are expressed in terms of an infinite seriesof spherical Bessel functions and products of associated Legendre functions.Closed form solutions for integrals involving Bessel functions times associatedLegendre functions times exponentials, recently elucidated by Neves et al(J. Phys. A: Math. Gen. 39 L293), are then shown to result directly from theorthogonality properties of the associated Legendre functions. This result offersgreater flexibility in the treatment of classical Heisenberg chains and may doso in other problems such as occur in electromagnetic diffraction theory.
Interest in molecular magnets continues to grow, offering a link between the atomic and nanoscale properties. The classical Heisenberg model has been effective in modelling exchange interactions in such systems. In this, the magnetization and susceptibility are calculated through the partition function, where the Hamiltonian contains both Zeeman and exchange energy. For an ensemble of N spins, this requires integrals in 2N dimensions. For two, three and four spin nearest-neighbour chains these integrals reduce to sums of known functions. For the case of the three and four spin chains, the sums are equivalent to results of Joyce. Expanding these sums, the effect of the exchange on the linear susceptibility appears as Langevin functions with exchange term arguments. These expressions are generalized here to describe an N spin nearest-neighbour chain, where the exchange between each pair of nearest neighbours is different and arbitrary. For a common exchange constant, this reduces to the result of Fisher. The high-temperature expansion of the Langevin functions for the different exchange constants leads to agreement with the appropriate high-temperature quantum formula of Schmidt et al, when the spin number is large. Simulations are presented for open linear chains of three, four and five spins with up to four different exchange constants, illustrating how the exchange constants can be retrieved successfully.
We have investigated LixNi1-y-zCoyMnzO2 compounds with y = 1/3, 0.25, 0.2, 0.1 and z = 1/3, 0.2, 0.1, 0.05 in order to study the influence of Ni and Mn concentration, cationic disorder, and crystallite size on the magnetic and charge/discharge behavior. The samples have been studied by means of x-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, voltammetry, cycling capacity, and magnetometry. The discharge capacity increases with increasing Ni concentration as does the number of ferromagnetic interactions. With higher Mn concentration a higher capacity is observed together with formation of strong antiferromagnetic interactions driving the magnetic frustration to lower temperatures. Our results show that for sufficiently low Co concentrations a stable and magnetically more ordered structure can be obtained with excellent electrochemical properties, although a relatively large amount of Ni is present.
A crystalline LiNi0.65Co0.25Mn0.10O2 electrode material was synthesized by the combustion method at 900 °C for 1 h. Rietveld refinement shows less than 3% of Li/Ni disorder in the structure. Lithium extraction involves only the Ni2+/Ni4+ redox couple while Co3+ and Mn4+ remain electrochemically inactive. No structural transition was detected during cycling in the whole composition range 0 < x < 1.0. Furthermore, the hexagonal cell volume changes by only 3% when all lithium was removed indicating a good mechanical stability of the studied compound. LiNi0.65Co0.25Mn0.10O2 has a discharge capacity of 150 mAh/g in the voltage range 2.5–4.5 V, but the best electrochemical performance was obtained with an upper cut-off potential of 4.3 V. Magnetic measurements reveal competing antiferromagnetic and ferromagnetic interactions – varying in strength as a function of lithium content – yielding a low temperature magnetically frustrated state. The evolution of the magnetic properties with lithium content confirms the preferential oxidation of Ni ions compared to Co3+ and Mn4+ during the delithiation process.
Magnetorelaxometry measurements on suspensions of magnetic beads are demonstrated using a planar Hall effect sensor chip embedded in a microfluidic system. The alternating magnetic field used for magnetizing the beads is provided by the sensor bias current and the complex magnetic susceptibility spectra are recorded as the 2nd harmonic of the sensor response. The complex magnetic susceptibility signal appears when a magnetic bead suspension is injected, it scales with the bead concentration, and it follows the Cole-Cole expression for Brownian relaxation. The complex magnetic susceptibility signal resembles that from conventional magnetorelaxometry done on the same samples apart from an offset in Brownian relaxation frequency. The time dependence of the signal can be rationalized as originating from sedimented beads.
In this paper, we investigate the volume-amplified magnetic nanobead detection assay with respect to bead size, bead concentration and bead oligonucleotide surface coverage in order to improve the understanding of the underlying microscopic mechanisms. It has been shown that: (i) the immobilization efficiency of the beads depends on the surface coverage of oligonucleotides, (ii) by using lower amounts of probe-tagged beads, detection sensitivity can be improved and (iii) using small enough beads enables both turn-off and turn-on detection. Finally, biplex detection was demonstrated.
Exchange-biased planar Hall effect magnetic field sensor crosses with arm width w have been studied as function of w. For large values of w, the magnetic behavior is hysteresis-free and follows the single domain Stoner-Wohlfarth model. When w is decreased, hysteresis is observed in the sensor response. For intermediate values of w, the magnetization reversal takes place in two steps, and for small values of w, the magnetization reversal takes place in a single step. Based on electrical measurements, magnetic force microscopy, and micromagnetic simulations, the observations are explained by an increasing magnetic shape anisotropy of the arms of the cross. We propose a simple analytical model that captures the essential physics of the observations and parameterizes the effects of the cross-shape on the central part of the cross.
We demonstrate detection of DNA coils formed from a Vibrio cholerae DNA target at picomolar concentrations using a novel optomagnetic approach exploiting the dynamic behavior and optical anisotropy of magnetic nanobead (MNB) assemblies. We establish that the complex second harmonic optical transmission spectra of MNB suspensions measured upon application of a weak uniaxial AC magnetic field correlate well with the rotation dynamics of the individual MNBs. Adding a target analyte to the solution leads to the formation of permanent MNB clusters, namely, to the suppression of the dynamic MNB behavior. We prove that the optical transmission spectra are highly sensitive to the formation of permanent MNB clusters and, thereby to the target analyte concentration. As a specific clinically relevant diagnostic case, we detect DNA coils formed via padlock probe recognition and isothermal rolling circle amplification and benchmark against a commercial equipment. The results demonstrate the fast optomagnetic readout of rolling circle products from bacterial DNA utilizing the dynamic properties of MNBs in a miniaturized and low-cost platform requiring only a transparent window in the chip.
The effects of partial substitution of Sr2+ by Ca2+ and Ba2+ on the A-site of oxygen-deficient perovskites, Bi(0.15)Sr(0.85-y)Ae(y)Co(1-x)FeO(3-delta), where y = 0.28 for Ae = Ba and y = 0.17 for Ae = Ca, and 0.0 <= x <= 1.0, have been investigated. The differing ionic size of the Ca2+ and Ba2+ cations influences both the crystal structure and the properties of the materials. The smaller Ca2+ cation favoured formation of an oxygen vacancy ordered perovskite superstructure (14/mmm, a = 2ap, c = 4a(p)), meanwhile the presence of the larger Ba2+ cation promoted a disordered simple cubic structure (Pm (3) over barm, a = ap) that was also found for all Fe containing samples, i.e. x >= 0.25. The samples were studied with PXRD, NPD, TGA, electron microscopy and magnetic susceptibility measurements. All as-prepared samples exhibited long range G-type antiferromagnetic ordering. The effect of oxygen annealing was dramatic for the Bi0.15Sr0.68Ca0.17Co1-xFexO3-delta series, with a disappearance of magnetic order for x >= 0.25 linked to increasing spin-glass properties. The oxygen content of the Bi0.15Sr0.57Ba0.28Co1-xFexO3-delta as-prepared materials was generally higher than their Ca substituted counterparts, and the long range antiferromagnetic order was more resistant to oxygen annealing.
A series of oxygen-deficient Sr0.85Bi0.15Co1-xFexO3-delta (0.0 <= x <= 1.0) perovskite phases were prepared using solid-state reaction. Results of neutron powder diffraction analyses show that the introduction of Fe onto the B-site severely effects the long range coherence of the oxygen vacancy ordered, 14/mmm supercell, observed for the x = 0.0 sample. For x = 0.1 a smaller, a = b approximate to a(p), c approximate to 2a(p), P4/mmm supercell gives the best agreement to the diffraction data, whilst phases in the range 0.2 <= x <= 0.6 adopt disordered cubic perovskite structures. Pseudo-cubic, a = b approximate to a(p), c approximate to a(p), structures are found for x >= 0.8. Evidence of weak superstructures, reflecting local oxygen ordering, is also obtained from electron diffraction. For all oxygen-annealed phases the average structure reverts to cubic Pm (3) over barm. The as-prepared samples show G-type antiferromagnetic order at room temperature. The oxygen annealed x = 0.10, 0.25 and 1.0 samples display low-temperature spin-glass transitions.
Nanostructured hydrated vanadium oxides (V2O5 center dot nH(2)O) are actively being researched for applications in energy storage, catalysis, and gas sensors. Recently, a one-step exfoliation technique for fabricating V2O5 center dot nH(2)O nano-sheets in aqueous media was reported; however, the underlying mechanism of exfoliation has been challenging to study. Herein, we followed the synthesis of V2O5 center dot nH(2)O nanosheets from the V2O5 and VO2 precursors in real using solution- and solid-state V-51 NMR. Solution-state V-51 NMR showed that the aqueous solution contained mostly the decavanadate anion [H2V10O28](4-) and the hydrated dioxova-nadate cation [VO2 center dot 4H(2)O](+), and during the exfoliation process, decavanadate was formed, while the amount of [VO2 center dot 4H(2)O](+) remained constant. The conversion of the solid precursor V2O5, which was monitored with solid-state V-51 NMR, was initiated when VO2 was in its monoclinic forms. The dried V2O5 center dot nH(2)O nanosheets were weakly paramagnetic because of a minor content of isolated V4+. Its solid-state V-51 signal was less than 20% of V2O5 and arose from diamagnetic V4+ or V5+.This study demonstrates the use of real-time NMR techniques as a powerful analysis tool for the exfoliation of bulk materials into nanosheets. A deeper understanding of this process will pave the way to tailor these important materials.
The low cost, rare earth free τ-phase of MnAl has high potential to partially replace bonded Nd2Fe14B rare earth permanent magnets. However, the τ-phase is metastable and it is experimentally difficult to obtain powders suitable for the permanent magnet alignment process, which requires the fine powders to have an appropriate microstructure and high τ-phase purity. In this work, a new method to make high purity τ-phase fne powders is presented. A high purity τ-phase Mn0.55Al0.45C0.02 alloy was synthesized by the drop synthesis method. The drop synthesized material was subjected to cryo milling and followed by a fash heating process. The crystal structure and microstructure of the drop synthesized, cryo milled and flash heated samples were studied by X-ray in situ powder diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, X-ray energy dispersive spectroscopy and electron backscatter diffraction. Magnetic properties and magnetic structure of the drop synthesized, cryo milled, flash heated samples were characterized by magnetometry and neutron powder diffraction, respectively. The results reveal that the 2 and 4hours cryo milled and flash heated samples both exhibit high τ-phase purity and micron-sized round particle shapes. Moreover, the fash heated samples display high saturation magnetization as well as increased coercivity.
The metastable tetragonal iota-phase has been directly obtained from casting Mn0.54Al0.46 and (Mn0.55Al0.45)(100)C-2 using the drop synthesis method. The as-casted samples were ball milled to decrease the particle size and relaxed at 500 degrees C for 1 h. The phase composition, crystallographic parameters, magnetic properties and microstructure were systematically studied. The results reveal that the iota-phase could be directly obtained from drop synthesis. The highest M-s of 117 emu/g was achieved in the (Mn0.55Al0.45)(100)C-2 where the iota-phase was stabilized by doping with carbon. Carbon doping increased the c/a ratio of the tau-phase as it occupies specific interstitial positions (1/2, 1/2, 0) in the structure. Furthermore, ball milling increases the coercivity (H-c) at the expense of a decrease in magnetic saturation (M-s). The increase in coercivity is explained by a decrease of grain size in conjunction with domain wall pinning due to defects introduced during the ball milling process.
To effectively synthesize high purity ferromagnetic low temperature phase (LTP) MnBi with optimal microstructure is still a challenge that needs to be overcome for the system to reach its full potential. Here, the phase transitions and magnetic properties of MnBi crystals are reported. The phase transition between the low and high temperature structure of MnBi was systematically investigated at different heating/cooling rates using in situ synchrotron radiation X-ray diffraction. The material crystallizes in a layered hexagonal structure giving a platelike microstructure. The magnetic characterization of the crystals reveal that the saturation magnetization varies from 645 kA/m at 50 K to 546 kA/m at 300 K. Magnetization measurements also show that the sample upon heating becomes non-magnetic and transforms to the high temperature phase (HTP) at similar to 640 K, and that it regains ferromagnetic properties and transforms back to the LTP at similar to 610 K upon subsequent cooling.
The magnetic 2D to 3D crossover behavior of well-ordered arrays of monodomain γ-Fe2O3 spherical nanoparticles with different thicknesses has been investigated by magnetometry and Monte Carlo (MC) simulations. Using the structural information of the arrays obtained from grazing incidence small-angle X-ray scattering and scanning electron microscopy together with the experimentally determined values for the saturation magnetization and magnetic anisotropy of the nanoparticles, we show that MC simulations can reproduce the thickness-dependent magnetic behavior. The magnetic dipolar particle interactions induce a ferromagnetic coupling that increases in strength with decreasing thickness of the array. The 2D to 3D transition in the magnetic properties is mainly driven by a change in the orientation of the magnetic vortex states with increasing thickness, becoming more isotropic as the thickness of the array increases. Magnetic anisotropy prevents long-range ferromagnetic order from being established at low temperature and the nanoparticle magnetic moments instead freeze along directions defined by the distribution of easy magnetization directions.