The giant magnetoresistance ͑GMR͒ effect in granular and multilayer thin films has been widely investigated because of possible device applications. Despite this intensive effort, the underlying mechanisms responsible for the effect have not been identified. We present measurements of the thermoelectric power ͑TEP͒ and thermal conductivity on a wide variety of granular and multilayer GMR systems. The strong magnetic field dependences of both the TEP and the thermal conductivity are found to be closely related to the magnetoresistance. The TEP measurements require that the high density of states in the ferromagnetic materials play a major role in the GMR effect. The thermal conductivity measurements indicate that the scattering mechanisms in granular samples are elastic while multilayer samples have a significant inelastic, spin-flip component. ͓S0163-1829͑96͒09745-7͔

The use of ferromagnetic nanoparticles for hyperthermia and thermoablation therapies has shown great promise in the field of nanobiomedicine. Even local hyperthermia offers numerous advantages as a novel cancer therapy; however, it requires a remarkably high heating power of more than 1 kW g−1 for heat agents. As a candidate for high heat generation, we focus on ferromagnetic nanoparticles and compare their physical properties with those of superparamagnetic substances. Numerical simulations for ideal single-domain ferromagnetic nanoparticles with cubic and uniaxial magnetic symmetries were carried out and MH curves together with minor loops were obtained. From the simulation, the efficient use of an alternating magnetic field (AMF) having a limited amplitude was discussed. Co-ferrite nanoparticles with various magnitudes of coercive force were produced by co-precipitation and a hydrothermal process. A maximum specific loss power of 420 W g−1 was obtained using an AMF at 117 kHz with H 0 = 51.4 kA m−1 (640 Oe). The relaxation behaviour in the ferromagnetic state below the superparamagnetic blocking temperature was examined by Mössbauer spectroscopy.

Tetrataenite (L10-FeNi) is a promising candidate for use as a permanent magnet free of rare-earth elements because of its favorable properties. In this study, single-phase L10-FeNi powder with a high degree of order was synthesized through a new method, nitrogen insertion and topotactic extraction (NITE). In the method, FeNiN, which has the same ordered arrangement as L10-FeNi, is formed by nitriding A1-FeNi powder with ammonia gas. Subsequently, FeNiN is denitrided by topotactic reaction to derive single-phase L10-FeNi with an order parameter of 0.71. The transformation of disordered-phase FeNi into the L10 phase increased the coercive force from 14.5 kA/m to 142 kA/m. The proposed method not only significantly accelerates the development of magnets using L10-FeNi but also offers a new synthesis route to obtain ordered alloys in non-equilibrium states.

Perpendicular magnetic anisotropy (PMA) of cobalt-ferrite CoxFe3-xO4 (x = 0.75 and 1.0) epitaxial thin films grown on MgO (001) by a reactive magnetron sputtering technique was investigated. The saturation magnetization was found to be 430 emu/cm3 for x = 0.75, which is comparable to that of bulk CoFe2O4 (425 emu/cm3). Torque measurements afforded PMA constants of Kueff=9.0 Merg/cm3 (Ku=10.0 Merg/cm3) and Kueff=9.7 Merg/cm3 for x = 0.75 and 1.0, respectively. The value of Kueff extrapolated using Miyajima's plot was as high as 14.7 Merg/cm3 for x = 1.0. The in-plane four-fold magnetic anisotropy was evaluated to be 1.6 Merg/cm3 for x = 0.75. X-ray diffraction measurement revealed our films to be pseudomorphically strained on MgO (001) with a Poisson ratio of 0.4, leading to a considerable in-plane tensile strain by which the extraordinarily large PMA could be accounted for.

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We report on the magnetic properties of epitaxial cobalt-ferrite films with orientations parallel to [001] and [111] grown by a reactive molecular beam epitaxy method using pure ozone gas as an oxidation agent. Both Mössbauer spectroscopy and magnetization measurement of the CoFe2O4(001) film grown on MgO(001) indicate that the film has perpendicular magnetic anisotropy (PMA) with high coercivity, whereas the film of CoFe2O4(111) grown on α-Al2O3(0001) appears to be paramagnetic. The maximum uniaxial anisotropy energy for CoFe2O4(001) estimated from the magnetization and coercivity at room temperature is ≈3×106 erg/cm3.

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A pigment of Fe4N particles for magnetic recording was prepared by nitrogenizing acicular metal iron powder. The chemical treatment needed to obtain stoichiometric Fe4N powder was studied, and it was found that Fe4N powder was obtained when the Fe powder was heated at about 400°C in a mixture of H2–NH3 (65–80 vol.%). The Curie point of the powder coincided well with that of bulk Fe4N. The coercive force of Fe4N was 640 Oe, which is considerably smaller than that of the Fe powder used as the starting material. The dispersion of magnetic anisotropy was measured by a torque meter, and the decrease in the coercivity of nitrogenized iron powder was attributed to the exchange anisotropy of the surface layer.