Comparative study of room-temperature ferromagnetism in Cu-doped ZnO nanowires enhanced by structural inhomogeneity

Cu-doped ZnO nanowires are prepared using two different approaches, and a comparative study of their magnetic properties is carried out. Compared with direct growth using a conventional vapor transport method, annealing a ZnO/Cu core/shell structure leads to significantly enhanced room-temperature ferromagnetism (see figure). Structural inhomogeneity boosts the ferromagnetism by promoting the formation of bound magnetic polarons.