Abstract
Nanoparticles of metallic iron on carbon supports have been studied insitu by use of Mössbauer spectroscopy. The magnetic anisotropy energy constant increases with decreasing particle size, presumably because of the influence of surface anisotropy. Chemisorption of oxygen results in formation of a surface layer with magnetic hyperfine fields similar to those of thicker passivation layers, and with a ferromagnetic coupling to the spins in the core of the particles. In contrast, thicker passivation layers have a noncollinear spin structure.
- Received 26 October 1993
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.72.282
©1994 American Physical Society
