Synthesis and self-assembly of fcc phase FePt nanorods

We report a synthesis of FePt nanorods by confining decomposition of Fe(CO)(5) and reduction of Pt(caca)(2) in surfactant reverse cylindrical micelles. The controlled nucleation and growth kinetics in confined environment allows easy control over Fe/Pt composition, nanorod uniformity, and nanorod aspect ratio. The FePt nanorods tend to self-assemble into ordered arrays along three-dimensions. Directed assembly under external magnetic field leads to two-dimensional ordered arrays, parallel to the substrate magnetic field. We expect that with optimized external magnetic fields, we should be able to assemble these nanorods into orientated one or two-dimensional arrays, providing a uniform anisotropic magnetic platform for varied applications in enhanced data storage, magneto-electron transport, etc.