Influence of the short-range order in FeCoZr nanoparticles on the electrical and magnetotransport properties of FeCoZr-CaF2 nanocomposites

This paper reports on the results of the 57Fe Mössbauer investigation of the short-range order in FeCoZr nanoparticles and also the studies of the electrical and magnetotransport properties of (FeCoZr)x(CaF2)100 − x granular nanocomposite films in the concentration range x = 16–75 at %. A correlation between the oxygen partial pressure during the synthesis of nanocomposites and the magnetic state of iron-containing nanoparticles has been established. The influence of the oxidation of metallic particles on the electron transport mechanisms and on the magnetoresistance of the films has been analyzed. It has been found that, in the nanocomposites with a high FeCoZr concentration (x ∼ 70–75 at %), there is a preferred orientation of the magnetic moments of α-FeCo(Zr) nanoparticles in the direction perpendicular to the film plane.