title: Large low-field magnetoresistance in nanocrystalline magnetite prepared by sol-gel method.
abstract: Nanocrystalline magnetite Fe3O4 samples with a grain size of about 40 nm have been synthesized by an optimized sol-gel method. The single phase of spinel magnetite was confirmed by both X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy. It has been found that the magnetoresistance of the samples at low field (LFMR) is relatively large, and with the decrease of temperature its value at a field of 0.5 T changes dramatically from -2.5% at 300 K to -17.0% at 55 K. With the further decrease of temperature a sharp drop occurs for the magnitude of the magnetoresistance (MR), regarded as a spin (cluster) glass transition in the surface region of the grains that can be confirmed by the zero-field-cooled and field-cooled magnetization and ac susceptibility measurement. The mechanism of the magnetic and transport properties was discussed.
authors.affiliation: Jiangsu Provincial Laboratory for Nanotechnology, National Laboratory of Solid State Microstructure and Department of Physics, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210093, China.
authors.forename: Z L
authors.initials: ZL
authors.lastname: Lu
authors.forename: W Q
authors.initials: WQ
authors.lastname: Zou
authors.forename: L Y
authors.initials: LY
authors.lastname: Lv
authors.forename: X C
authors.initials: XC
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: S D
authors.initials: SD
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.forename: F M
authors.initials: FM
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Y W
authors.initials: YW
authors.lastname: Du