Assembly and magnetic properties of nickel nanoparticles on silicon nanowires

Abstract

The directed assembly of magnetic Ni nanoparticles at the tips of silicon nanowires is reported. Using electrodeposition Ni shells of thickness from 10 to 200 nm were selectively deposited on Au catalytic seeds at the ends of nanowires. Magnetic characterization confirms a low coercivity (≈115 Oe) ferromagnetic behavior at 300 K. This approach to multifunctional magnetic-semiconducting nanostructure assembly could be extended to electrodeposition of other materials on the nanowire ends, opening up additional approaches to device integration. Such magnetically functionalized nanowires offer an approach to developing highly localized magnetic probes for high resolution magnetic resonance force microscopy.