Effects of annealing temperature on structure and magnetic properties of amorphous Fe61Co27P12 nanowire arrays

Arrays of Fe61Co27P12 nanowire with an aspect ratio about 70 were prepared in anodic aluminum oxide templates by electrodeposition. The influences of annealing temperature on structure and magnetic properties of Fe61Co27P12 nanowires were studied. When the specimens were annealed below 400 degrees C, there are no obvious changes in structure except relaxation. With the annealing temperature increasing from 400 to 600 degrees C, the Fe-Co phase is detected by X-ray diffraction and Mossbauer spectra. The crystalline fraction and hyperfine field can be derived from Mossbauer spectra. The room temperature magnetic hysteresis loops show that the coercivity and squareness of the nanowire arrays in parallel to the wire axis increase with the increasing of annealing temperature, which mainly attributes to the strengthening of anisotropy. (c) 2007 Published by Elsevier Ltd.