Synthesis and characterization of permalloy nanostructured films by deposition of laser ablated nanoparticles

A permalloy (Ni81Fe19; at%) microparticle (MP) aerosol was ablated to produce a nanoparticle (NP) aerosol that was then impacted at high velocity onto a substrate to produce porous thick films. The structure of the NPs was analyzed by transmission electron microscopy and the morphologies of the NPs and the nanostructured films were studied using high-resolution transmission electron microscopy and scanning electron microscopy. These analyses showed that the original composition and structure of the MPs were preserved in the NPs and films. The majority of NPs that were produced ranged in size between 2 and 15 nm with some larger particles present. Magnetization–temperature curves showed that the films consisted of a mixture of small superparamagnetic NPs and larger ferromagnetic NPs. A high saturation magnetization of 62.3 emu/g at 300 K was retained in the films indicating that they remained free of significant oxidation.