Magnetic texture in iron nanowire arrays

Highly ordered iron arrays of nanowires with different diameters have been prepared by the electrochemical deposition method, with the intention of studying magnetic texture in this system. Crystal texture with the [110] direction along the axis of the nanowires is demonstrated by x-ray diffraction measurements. The orientation of the magnetic moments is along the long axis of the nanowire, a result deduced from the transmission Mossbauer spectra of the as-prepared sample and the remanent states. However, as the intensity of the second and fifth lines is larger in conversion electron Mossbauer spectra than that in transmission Mossbauer spectra for the same diameter samples, the orientation of the magnetic moments appears to deviate from the axis more at the ends than that in the middle of the nanowires. On increasing the nanowire diameter, the magnetic texture becomes weaker. Large coercive force can be found for the small diameter samples when the external magnetic field is applied along the long axis of the nanowires.