Formation and magnetic properties of InFeP:Ag nanorods fabricated with noble metal Ag using an ion milling method

Abstract

The formation, including the density and height of the InFeP:Ag nanorods doped with noble metal Ag using an ion milling method, was preponderantly determined from transmission electron microscopy and x-ray diffraction analyses. We investigate, in particular, the enhanced ferromagnetism of the well-aligned InFeP:Ag nanorods. Auger electron spectroscopy and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy measurements were carried out in order to investigate the incorporation of Ag and to verify the local chemical bonding of the InFeP:Ag nanorods. The variation of FWHM for the double-crystal x-ray rocking curve and triple-axis diffraction peaks demonstrates that noble metal Ag is incorporated into the InFeP:Ag nanorods. The noticeable ferromagnetic signature (M-H curve) of the InFeP:Ag nanorods is observed and Tc persists up to almost 350 K (3.9 × 10−4 emu g−1), as determined by temperature-dependence magnetization (M-T curve) measurements. This study suggests that the InFeP:Ag nanorods should be a potential candidate for the application of spintronic devices.