Tunable magnetic properties of heterogeneous nanobrush: from nanowire to nanofilm

With a bottom-up assemble technology, heterogeneous magnetic nanobrushes, consisting of Co nanowire arrays and ferromagnetic Fe70Co30 nanofilm, have been fabricated using an anodic aluminum oxide template method combining with sputtering technology. Magnetic measurement suggests that the magnetic anisotropy of nanobrush depends on the thickness of Fe70Co30 layer, and its total anisotropy originates from the competition between the shape anisotropy of nanowire arrays and nanofilm. Micromagnetic simulation result indicates that the switching field of nanobrush is 1900 Oe, while that of nanowire array is 2700 Oe. These suggest that the nanobrush film can promote the magnetization reversal processes of nanowire arrays in nanobrush.