The influence of annealing on the microstructure and the electrical and magnetic properties of cylindrical nickel-based nanowires has been investigated. Nanowires of nickel of ~275 nm diameter and of permalloy (Py) of ~70 nm diameter were fabricated by electrochemical deposition into nanoporous templates of polycarbonate and anodic alumina, respectively. Characterization was carried out on as-grown and up to 650 °C heat-treated nanowires. Transmission electron microscopy imaging and diffraction of the nanowires showed a temperature-correlated grain growth of an initially nanocrystalline structure (untreated) with <8 nm (Ni) and <20 nm (Py) grains towards coarser poly-crystallinity after heat treatment with grains up to ~160 nm (Ni) and ~70 nm (Py), the latter being limited by the nanowire width. The electrical conductivity of individual as-grown and 650 °C annealed Ni nanowires was measured in-situ by scanning electron microscopy. At low current densities, the conductivity of annealed nanowires was estimated to have doubled over as-grown nanowires. We attribute this increase to the observed grain growth. The annealed nanowire was subsequently subjected to increasing current densities. Above 120 kA.mm-2 the nanowire resistance started to rise. At 450 kA.mm-2 , the nanowire melted and current flow ceased. Magnetometry of as-grown and annealed nanowire arrays showed them to display quasi-thin film magnetic properties. Coercivity and saturation field were inversely correlated in annealed wires and a 25% tunability in these properties was achieved at just 200 °C.
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