Unveiling the crystal and magnetic texture of iron oxide nanoflowers.

Iron oxide nanoflowers (IONF) are densely packed multi-core aggregates known for their high saturation magnetization and initial susceptibility, as well as low remanence and coercive field. This study reports on how the local magnetic texture originating at the crystalline correlations among the cores determines the special magnetic properties of individual IONF over a wide size range from 40 to 400 nm. Regardless of this significant size variation in the aggregates, all samples exhibit a consistent crystalline correlation that extends well beyond the IONF cores. Furthermore, a nearly zero remnant magnetization, together with the presence of a persistently blocked state, and almost temperature-independent field-cooled magnetization, support the existence of a 3D magnetic texture throughout the IONF. This is confirmed by magnetic transmission X-ray microscopy images of tens of individual IONF, showing, in all cases, a nearly demagnetized state caused by the vorticity of the magnetic texture. Micromagnetic simulations agree well with these experimental findings, showing that the interplay between the inter-core direct exchange coupling and the demagnetizing field is responsible for the highly vortex-like spin configuration that stabilizes at low magnetic fields and appears to have partial topological protection. Overall, this comprehensive study provides valuable insights into the impact of crystalline texture on the magnetic properties of IONF over a wide size range, offering a deeper understanding of their potential applications in fields such as biomedicine and water remediation.

Imaging of Antiferroelectric Dark Modes in an Inverted Plasmonic Lattice.

Plasmonic lattice nanostructures are of technological interest because of their capacity to manipulate light below the diffraction limit. Here, we present a detailed study of dark and bright modes in the visible and near-infrared energy regime of an inverted plasmonic honeycomb lattice by a combination of Au+ focused ion beam lithography with nanometric resolution, optical and electron spectroscopy, and finite-difference time-domain simulations. The lattice consists of slits carved in a gold thin film, exhibiting hotspots and a set of bright and dark modes. We proposed that some of the dark modes detected by electron energy-loss spectroscopy are caused by antiferroelectric arrangements of the slit polarizations with two times the size of the hexagonal unit cell. The plasmonic resonances take place within the 0.5-2 eV energy range, indicating that they could be suitable for a synergistic coupling with excitons in two-dimensional transition metal dichalcogenides materials or for designing nanoscale sensing platforms based on near-field enhancement over a metallic surface.

Selective anisotropic growth of Bi2S3 nanoparticles with adjustable optical properties.

We report on the controlled synthesis and functionalization in two steps of elongated Bi2S3 nanoparticles within a wide range of sizes. First, we show the effect of the temperature and reaction time on the synthesis of two series of nanoparticles by the reaction of thioacetamide with bismuth(III) neodecanoate in the presence of organic surfactants. At 105 °C and long reaction times, nanoneedles of about 45 nm in length containing larger crystallites are obtained, while highly crystalline nanorods of about 30 nm in length are dominant at 165 °C, regardless of the reaction time. The optical properties of both types of nanoparticles show an enhancement of the band gap compared to bulk Bi2S3. This is likely to arise from quantum confinement effects caused by the small particle dimensions relative to the typical exciton size, together with an increase in near-infrared absorption due to the anisotropic particle shape. Second, a ligand exchange approach has been developed to transfer the Bi2S3 nanoparticles to aqueous solutions by grafting dimercaptosuccinic acid onto the surface of the particles. The as-prepared coated nanoparticles show good stability in water, in a wide biological pH range, and in phosphate-buffered saline solutions. Overall, this work highlights the controlled design at all levels - from the inorganic core to the organic surface coating - of elongated Bi2S3 nanoparticles, leading to a tunable optical response by tuning their morphology and size.

Tunable circular dichroism through absorption in coupled optical modes of twisted triskelia nanostructures.

We present a system consisting of two stacked chiral plasmonic nanoelements, so-called triskelia, that exhibits a high degree of circular dichroism. The optical modes arising from the interactions between the two elements are the main responsible for the dichroic signal. Their excitation in the absorption cross section is favored when the circular polarization of the light is opposite to the helicity of the system, so that an intense near-field distribution with 3D character is excited between the two triskelia, which in turn causes the dichroic response. Therefore, the stacking, in itself, provides a simple way to tune both the value of the circular dichroism, up to 60%, and its spectral distribution in the visible and near infrared range. We show how these interaction-driven modes can be controlled by finely tuning the distance and the relative twist angle between the triskelia, yielding maximum values of the dichroism at 20° and 100° for left- and right-handed circularly polarized light, respectively. Despite the three-fold symmetry of the elements, these two situations are not completely equivalent since the interplay between the handedness of the stack and the chirality of each single element breaks the symmetry between clockwise and anticlockwise rotation angles around 0°. This reveals the occurrence of clear helicity-dependent resonances. The proposed structure can be thus finely tuned to tailor the dichroic signal for applications at will, such as highly efficient helicity-sensitive surface spectroscopies or single-photon polarization detectors, among others.

Stochastic vs. deterministic magnetic coding in designed cylindrical nanowires for 3D magnetic networks.

Advances in cylindrical nanowires for 3D information technologies profit from intrinsic curvature that introduces significant differences with regards to planar systems. A model is proposed to control the stochastic and deterministic coding of remanent 3D complex vortex configurations in designed multilayered (magnetic/non-magnetic) cylindrical nanowires. This concept, introduced by micromagnetic simulations, is experimentally confirmed by magnetic imaging in FeCo/Cu multilayered nanowires. The control over the random/deterministic vortex states configurations is achieved by a suitable geometrical interface tilting of almost non-interacting FeCo segments with respect to the nanowire axis, together with the relative orientation of the perpendicular magnetic field. The proper design of the segments' geometry (e.g. tilting) in cylindrical nanowires opens multiple opportunities for advanced nanotechnologies in 3D magnetic networks.

An Inverted Honeycomb Plasmonic Lattice as an Efficient Refractive Index Sensor.

We present an efficient refractive index sensor consisting of a heterostructure that contains an Au inverted honeycomb lattice as a main sensing element. Our design aims at maximizing the out-of-plane near-field distributions of the collective modes of the lattice mapping the sensor surroundings. These modes are further enhanced by a patterned SiO2 layer with the same inverted honeycomb lattice, an SiO2 spacer, and an Au mirror underneath the Au sensing layer that contribute to achieving a high performance. The optical response of the heterostructure was studied by numerical simulation. The results corresponding to one of the collective modes showed high sensitivity values ranging from 99 to 395 nm/RIU for relatively thin layers of test materials within 50 and 200 nm. In addition, the figure of merit of the sensor detecting slight changes of the refractive index of a water medium at a fixed wavelength was as high as 199 RIU-1. As an experimental proof of concept, the heterostructure was manufactured by a simple method based on electron beam lithography and the measured optical response reproduces the simulations. This work paves the way for improving both the sensitivity of plasmonic sensors and the signal of some enhanced surface spectroscopies.

Unveiling the Origin of Multidomain Structures in Compositionally Modulated Cylindrical Magnetic Nanowires.

CoNi/Ni multisegmented cylindrical nanowires were synthesized via an electrochemical route. The wires are 140 nm in diameter, with 1000 nm long Ni segments and CoNi segments between 600 and 1400 nm in length. The magnetic configuration was imaged by XMCD-PEEM in the demagnetized state and at remanence after magnetizing axially and perpendicularly. Ni segments, with cubic crystal symmetry, show an axial magnetic configuration with a small curling component at the surface. In turn, CoNi segments, with hexagonal crystal symmetry and a strong magnetocrystalline anisotropy perpendicular to the nanowires, show a single vortex state in the shorter segments and multivortex or multitransverse magnetic configurations in medium and long segments, respectively. A detailed study by micromagnetic simulations reveals that the magnetic configuration is determined mainly by the coupling between soft Ni and harder CoNi segments. For short CoNi segments, Ni segments are magnetostatically coupled and the chirality of the single vortex formed in CoNi remains the same as that of the curling in neighboring Ni segments. For longer CoNi segments, the remanent state is either the multivortex or multitransverse state depending on whether the previously applied field was parallel or perpendicular to the magnetocrystalline axis. The results point out the relevance of the cylindrical geometry to promote the occurrence of complex magneto-chiral effects and provide key information for the design of cylindrical magnetic nanowires for multiple applications.

Geometric frustration in ordered lattices of plasmonic nanoelements.

Inspired by geometrically frustrated magnetic systems, we present the optical response of three cases of hexagonal lattices of plasmonic nanoelements. All of them were designed using a metal-insulator-metal configuration to enhance absorption of light, with elements in close proximity to exploit near-field coupling, and with triangular symmetry to induce frustration of the dipolar polarization in the gaps between neighboring structures. Both simulations and experimental results demonstrate that these systems behave as perfect absorbers in the visible and/or the near infrared. Besides, the numerical study of the time evolution shows that they exhibit a relatively extended time response over which the system fluctuates between localized and collective modes. It is of particular interest the echoed excitation of surface lattice resonance modes, which are still present at long times because of the geometric frustration inherent to the triangular lattice. It is worth noting that the excitation of collective modes is also enhanced in other types of arrays where dipolar excitations of the nanoelements are hampered by the symmetry of the array. However, we would like to emphasize that the enhancement in triangular arrays can be significantly larger because of the inherent geometric incompatibility of dipolar excitations and three-fold symmetry axes.

Magnetization Ratchet in Cylindrical Nanowires.

The unidirectional motion of information carriers such as domain walls in magnetic nanostrips is a key feature for many future spintronic applications based on shift registers. This magnetic ratchet effect has so far been achieved in a limited number of complex nanomagnetic structures, for example, by lithographically engineered pinning sites. Here we report on a simple remagnetization ratchet originated in the asymmetric potential from the designed increasing lengths of magnetostatically coupled ferromagnetic segments in FeCo/Cu cylindrical nanowires. The magnetization reversal in neighboring segments propagates sequentially in steps starting from the shorter segments, irrespective of the applied field direction. This natural and efficient ratchet offers alternatives for the design of three-dimensional advanced storage and logic devices.

Electric-field control of local ferromagnetism using a magnetoelectric multiferroic.

Multiferroics are of interest for memory and logic device applications, as the coupling between ferroelectric and magnetic properties enables the dynamic interaction between these order parameters. Here, we report an approach to control and switch local ferromagnetism with an electric field using multiferroics. We use two types of electromagnetic coupling phenomenon that are manifested in heterostructures consisting of a ferromagnet in intimate contact with the multiferroic BiFeO(3). The first is an internal, magnetoelectric coupling between antiferromagnetism and ferroelectricity in the BiFeO(3) film that leads to electric-field control of the antiferromagnetic order. The second is based on exchange interactions at the interface between a ferromagnet (Co(0.9)Fe(0.1)) and the antiferromagnet. We have discovered a one-to-one mapping of the ferroelectric and ferromagnetic domains, mediated by the colinear coupling between the magnetization in the ferromagnet and the projection of the antiferromagnetic order in the multiferroic. Our preliminary experiments reveal the possibility to locally control ferromagnetism with an electric field.