Abstract
FePd alloys in the thin film form represent a multipurpose and versatile material with relevant chemical and physical properties studied in different research fields. Moreover, the ability to manipulate and fine-tune the film surface with nanometric scale precision represents a degree of freedom useful to adapt these thin film properties to the demands of different desired applications. In this manuscript, Fe70Pd30 (at. %) thin films are prepared with a thickness of 50 and 200 nm by means of the widely used co-sputtering deposition technique. Subsequently, selective removal of the iron element from the alloy and the consequent surface diffusion of the palladium was induced by a dealloying treatment under free corrosion conditions in hydrochloric acid. The size and shape of the grains of the as-deposited thin films determine the dissolution rate of the iron element with a direct consequence not only on the surface morphology and the stoichiometry of the alloy but also on the wetting and magnetic properties of the sample. X-ray diffraction, Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) images, contact angle and magnetic measurements have been performed to provide a thorough characterisation of the fundamental properties of these nanostructured bimetallic thin films.
Highlights
IntroductionThe chemical composition of the FePd binary alloy system strongly influences its structure and magnetic properties allowing the use in a variety of applications [21,23,24,25,26]
The transition metal can be exploited directly for its intrinsic magnetic properties or to improve the alloy ability or as a sacrificial metal in the dealloying process to promote the formation of a porous nanomaterial with a large surface-to-volume ratio [7,8,9]
Among the thin-film bimetallic alloys of the iron group, FePt is intensively studied because it is recognized as a promising magnetic material for prospective applications in highdensity magnetic storage devices and micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS) [10,11]
Summary
The chemical composition of the FePd binary alloy system strongly influences its structure and magnetic properties allowing the use in a variety of applications [21,23,24,25,26]. These properties include magnetic shape memory effect for the Fe70 Pd30 alloys [27,28,29,30,31], high perpendicular magnetic anisotropy for Fe50 Pd50 [32,33], as well as hydrogen absorption characteristics for the palladium-rich
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