High spin-dependent tunneling magnetoresistance in magnetite powders made by arc-discharge

Abstract

© 2016 Author(s). We report the successful synthesis of ferrimagnetic magnetite powders made using an arc-discharge method in a partial oxygen atmosphere. X-ray and electron diffraction measurements show that the powders also contain some antiferromagnetic hematite and a small amount of FeO and Fe that has not oxidized. The Raman data show that there is a small fraction of ferrimagnetic maghemite that cannot be seen in the x-ray diffraction data. There is a wide particle size distribution where there are nanoparticles as small as 7 nm, larger faceted nanoparticles, and particles that are up to 25 μm in diameter. The saturation magnetization at high magnetic fields is ∼74% of that found in th..