Influence of crystal orientation on magnetic properties of hcp Co nanowire arrays

Abstract

In this paper we develop a convenient way to control the direction of uniaxial magnetocrystalline easy axis in ac electrodeposited hcp Co nanowire arrays. The c-axis of hcp cobalt can be oriented parallel or perpendicular to the long axis of the wire by adjusting the temperature of the electrolyte. Magnetic characterizations suggest that the direction of the hcp c-axis plays an important role in the magnetization reversal process. A three-dimensional object oriented micromagnetic framework code was used to confirm the conclusion. It can be seen that the crystal orientation influences the magnetization and demagnetization process observably when the magnetocrystalline anisotropy energy is comparable to the shape anisotropy energy.