Tailoring the Magnetic Anisotropy in CoRh Nanoalloys: Experiment and Theory

The magnetic moments and magnetic anisotropy energy (MAE) of CoRh alloy nanoparticles are determined experimentally and theoretically. Non-trivial correlations between chemical order, magnetic order and MAE are revealed. A remarkable non-monotonous dependence of the MAE as a function of composition and chemical order is observed that opens novel possibilities of tuning the magnetic properties of nanoalloys. The observations are successfully compared and analyzed with our electronic calculations. In this way we clearly demonstrate that the induced 4d moments and the 3d-4d interfaces are the key parameters controlling the magneto-anisotropic behavior.
4 pages, 3 figures