Magnetic properties of ordered FexAE1-x nanowire arrays embedded in anodic alumina membranes

Ordered Fe-Ag alloy nanowire arrays embedded in the nanochannels of anodic alumina membranes (AAM) were successfully fabricated by electrodeposition. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) observations reveal that the Fe-Ag alloy nanowires were uniformly assembled into the hexagonally ordered nanochannels of AAM. Magnetic measurements show that the perpendicular coercivity (H-C perpendicular to) for the ordered Fe-Ag nanowire arrays embedded in AAM increased dramatically as the annealing temperature (T-A) rose from 300 degreesC to 400 degreesC, reached its maximum (239.5 Oe) at 400 degreesC. and then decreased sharply as T-A rose from 400 degreesC to 600 degreesC. However. there was no much change for the parallel coercivity (H-C parallel to). The mechanism of this phenomenon is discussed in this Letter. (C) 2001 Published by Elsevier Science B.V.