title: Nanoscale characterization and magnetic property of NiCoCu/Cu multilayer nanowires.
abstract: NiCo/Cu multilayer nanowires have been successfully fabricated by a pulse electrodeposition technique using anodic aluminum oxide templates, and their chemistry, crystal structure and magnetic properties characterized at the nanoscale. It was found that each individual nanowire had a regular periodic structure. The NiCo/Cu nanowires also displayed a continuous morphology, smooth surface and polycrystalline fcc structure. EDX elemental mappings confirmed the presence of nickel, cobalt and copper, which appear clearly with a periodic distribution throughout the samples. Both the NiCo and Cu layers were polycrystalline and the average length of the interlayers between NiCo and Cu layers was approximately 3-4 nm. The NiCo/Cu nanowire arrays had an easy axis parallel to the length of wire and exhibited a curling magnetization reversal mechanism. This study highlights the basis morphological, structural and chemical information for NiCoCu/Cu multilayer nanowires, which is critical for their applications in nanodevices and nanoelectronics.
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory for Magnetism and Magnetic Materials of the Ministry of Education, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Kuo
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Qi
authors.forename: Xinghua
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Hong
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Li
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Desheng
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Xue
authors.forename: Haoli
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Baofan
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.forename: Nigel J
authors.initials: NJ
authors.lastname: Mellors
authors.forename: Yong
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Peng