THE ASSEMBLY OF CHAIN-LIKE Ni ARRAYS UNDER MAGNETIC FIELD AND ITS ENHANCED PROPERTIES

Abstract

Chain-like nickel arrays assembled from magnetic Ni spheres were successfully prepared through a facile hydrothermal process at 200°C under a 0.25 T external magnetic field. The external magnetic field is strongly believed to be the driving force of the self-assembly. The sample was highly crystalline as confirmed by the X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns. The scanning electron microscope (SEM) and transmission electron microscope (TEM) images show that all Ni spheres are closely interconnected to form chains, with ~ 950 nm in diameter and ~ 1 cm in length, which arrange into vertical arrays on the silicon substrate. The coercivity and remnant magnetization ratio of the sample, 670 Oe and 0.612, respectively, are substantially higher than for the sample prepared without an applied external magnetic field (68 Oe and 0.336). Such enhancements can be attributed to their novel superstructure, shape anisotropy, reduced demagnetization factor, etc. This process can be used to fabricate large arrays of uniform chains of magnetic materials and modulate their magnetic properties.