Grain size effects on the magnetic properties of chemically synthesized Ni:Ni3C nanocomposites

Chemical synthesis has been used to produce Ni:Ni3C nanocomposites with Ni grain sizes from 5 to 60 nm and Ni3C grain sizes from 20 to 50 nm. The room-temperature coercivity and remanence ratio can be understood strictly in terms of Ni grain size; however, temperature-dependent measurements show that the Ni3C can affect the collective magnetic behavior by affecting interactions of the Ni particles. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.