Synthesis and characteristics of nanowire arrays

Co100−xSnx alloy nanowires were fabricated by electrodeposition of Co2+ and Sn2+ into anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) templates. X-ray diffraction results indicate that the crystal structures of the nanowires changed from polycrystal to amorphism, and then to polycrystal again with the increase of Sn content in the nanowires. Transmission electron microscopy result shows that the nanowires are about 50 nm in diameter and the aspect ratio is approximately 75. The magnetic response of the arrays was measured using vibrating sample magnetometry at room temperature. The results show that the coercivity and squareness with the magnetic field along the nanowire arrays decrease with the increase of the Sn content. Nanowires exhibit obviously uniaxial magnetic anisotropy, and the easy magnetizing axis is parallel to the nanowires owing to the large shape anisotropy.