Vertically Aligned Single-Crystalline Ferromagnetic Ni₃Co Nanowires

Abstract

We report synthesis of vertical Ni 3 Co nanowires on a c -plane sapphire substrate by chemical vapor transport method. A vapor−solid−solid mechanism was proposed for Ni 3 Co nanowire growth, which was catalyzed by Ni 3 Co 2 nanoparticle at the tip. As-synthesized vertically aligned single-crystalline Ni 3 Co nanowires exhibit strongly ferromagnetic properties. Such single-crystalline ferromagnetic alloy nanowires could be important in the application of spintronics such as nonvolatile memory devices. We could also control the composition of the nanowire by adjusting experimental conditions, producing Ni, Ni 3 Co, and NiCo nanowires.