Temperature dependence of magnetic hysteresis of RCo_x:Co nanocomposites (R=Pr and Sm)

Authors

J. Ping Liu, University of Nebraska-LincolnFollow
Ralph Skomski, University of Nebraska-LincolnFollow
Yi Liu, University of Nebraska-LincolnFollow
David J. Sellmyer, University of Nebraska-LincolnFollow

Document Type

Article

Date of this Version

5-1-2000

Comments

Published by American Institute of Physics. J. Applied Physics 87, 6740 (2000). ©2000 American Institute of Physics. Permission to use. http://jap.aip.org/jap/.

Abstract

The temperature dependence of magnetic hysteresis of RCo_x:Co (R=Pr and Sm) nanocomposite films is reported. These films are prepared by dc and rf sputtering and subsequent thermal processing. It is found that the squareness of the hysteresis loops deteriorates with decreasing temperature. This is attributed to the enhanced magnetic anisotropy of the hard phases at low temperatures. The analysis of the magnetic reversal process shows that the anisotropy enhancement leads to a transition from cooperated to independent behavior. This analysis agrees well with the experimental results.