Manipulation of magnetic nanostructures through low temperature metal–oxygen chemistry: Co/CoO exchange biased nanodonuts and Co nanotips

Dense nanodonut and nanotip type morphologies are shown to self-evolve in ultrathin cobalt films during growth under vacuum, depending on the level of oxygen incorporation and temperature. The nanodonut morphology forms at room temperature and the corresponding magnetic hysteresis shows exchange bias (∼35 Oe shift along the field axis), which is attributed to the presence of CoO and its exchange coupling with cobalt. The morphology evolves into nanotip features with increase of growth temperature, with concurrent elimination of the oxide component and exchange bias.