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PREPARATION AND MAGNETIC PROPERTIES OF ELECTROPLATED Fe AND Cu COMPOSITE COATINGS WITH EMBEDDED Ni NANOPARTICLES
H. Chiriac, A. E. Moga, F. T. Todosi National Institute of Research & Development for Technical Physics, 47 Mangeron Blvd., 700050 Iasi 3, Romania |
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In this work, we report some results on the preparation and magnetic properties of Fe-Ni and Cu-Ni composite layers obtained by codeposition process. Nanocomposite Fe-Ni and Cu-Ni coatings were electrochemically synthesised from iron and copper sulphate baths, respectively, containing Ni nanoparticles of average 100 nm in diameter. The Ni nanoparticles have been maintained in suspension by an intensive mechanical stirring. The coatings were electrodeposited onto non-magnetic substrates with a surface area of 1.5 cm2. Electrochemical deposition of the samples was performed using a two-electrode electrochemical cell.
The surface morphology of the obtained coatings was studied by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Structural investigations of the samples were performed by X-ray diffraction (XRD). The reduced hysterezis loops as well as the temperature dependence of the reduced magnetization of the samples were carried out using a vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM), in an external magnetic field of 15 kOe. Composite layers obtained by the electrochemical codeposition technique have the coercivity, Hc, of about 40 Oe. The temperature dependence of the reduced magnetization of Cu-Ni and Fe-Ni composites shows clearly the presence of Ni nanoparticles embedded in Cu and Fe coatings. The XRD patterns confirm also the presence of Ni nanoparticles embedded in Cu and Fe coatings, respectively.