Enabling Applications of Templated Nanowires

Abstract

Ferromagnetic nanowires have been proposed for a broad range of applications as their low dimension and high shape anisotropy introduces novel electrical and magnetic properties. However, in most application spaces, there are significant hurdles that must be addressed before nanowire-based solutions are viable technologies for industry. This work seeks to bridge some of this gap for three different nanowire applications. First, a method for the reliable integration of vertical, templated nanowires is developed and evaluated to determine the controllability, robustness, and applicability of the resulting anodized aluminum oxide films. Second, a nondestructive, ferromagnetic resonance based technique for characterization of templated nanowires is proposed and experimentally validated. This method is shown to be not only feasible, but comparatively advantageous, for the quantification of both saturation magnetization and fill factor, which may be used for quality control of templated magnetic nanowires. Lastly, nanowire coatings were screened and evaluated for stability in cryoprotective agent cocktails. The suspension of magnetic nanowires allows for further study into their use as efficient heaters for cryopreservation application. With templated nanowires as the core technology, this work addresses roadblocks in processing for electronic, magnetic, and biological applications.