Magnetic dipolar interaction induced cobalt nanowires

The dipolar interaction of magnetic nanoparticles is of intense interest to engineer material self-assembly for anisotropic functional nanostructures. Here we report the solution synthesis of cobalt nanowires, where the one-dimensional nanowire formation is ultimately dependent on the magnetic dipolar interaction to realize in situ assembly of cobalt nanoparticles. The morphology transition of cobalt nanostructures is well controlled via the ligand-free synthesis and thermal decomposition of zero-valent cobalt precursor. This study provides a self-assembly approach to the development of anisotropic cobalt nanostructures and a better understanding of nucleation parameters, which are demonstrated to correlate strongly with the size and morphology of final cobalt nanowires. This approach may be extended to other magnetic materials for the control of their nanostructure and magnetic performance.