Heterogeneous nucleation of amorphous alloys on catalytic nanoparticles to produce 2Dpatterned nanocrystal arrays

Abstract

Templates are widely used to produce artificial nanostructures. Here, laser-assistedself-organization has been used to form one- and two-dimensional (D) nanoarrays of Cunanocrystals. Using these nanoarrays as a template, a 2D patterned ferromagneticnanostructure of FeCrSi nanocrystals has been produced by heterogeneousnucleation and growth of nanocrystals by partial devitrification from an amorphousFe64.5Cr10Si13.5B9Nb3 alloy with the Cu nanoparticles acting as catalytic nucleation sites. The interactionamong the ferromagnetic nanocrystals via the residual amorphous matrix canbe controlled by suitable choice of the amorphous alloy composition. Althoughdemonstrated for a ferromagnetic system, the processing method may have much widerapplicability for producing artificial nanostructures of a wide variety of materials whenmaterials-specific catalysts and amorphous alloy compositions are judiciously chosen.