Joel Horning

Purdue University

Materials Engineering

Self-Assembly of Monolayer Films of Magnetic Nanoclusters: A New Process for Manufacturing Magnetic Disks

Introduction

Metal nanoclusters are a relatively new class of materials. Each cluster consists of up to a few thousand atoms bound together (we want clusters on the order of 10 nm in diameter). Due to their small size these clusters exhibit novel properties that could be harnessed in a wide variety of applications, including: catalysts, high efficiency solar panels, magnetic storage media, and highly responsive sensing devices. However, their small size also causes these clusters to require special treatment, or they will rapidly aggregate into much larger particles. The clusters must be formed in a way that isolates them from each other. Once such isolation has been done, providing long term stability of the clusters, they can be formed into monolayers and studied or perhaps be used in high tech applications.

Project Objectives

  • Create FeAu nanoclusters that do not aggregate
  • Develop a method to size select these nanoparticles
  • Develop a method to magnetically select these nanoparticles
  • Study magnetic properties of the FeAu clusters

Experimental Research

  • Variation of DACS operating parameters to determine best conditions
  • Selective precipitation of desired nanoclusters
  • Analysis of size distribution using TEM
  • Analysis of atomic composition using AAS

Accomplishments

  • Created FeAu nanoclusters and successfully arrayed them as a monolayer
  • Showed feasibility of selective flocculation for the FeAu system
  • A process to magnetically select nanoparticles created and successfully utilized

Approximately 5nm FeAu nanocluster array.
Grown clusters.