Structure and magnetic property of Ni-Cu alloy nanowires electrodeposited into the pores of anodic alumina membranes

Ordered Ni-Cu alloy nanowire arrays embedded in the hexagonally ordered nanochannels of anodic alumina membranes (AAMs) were fabricated by electrodeposition. The x-ray diffraction, x-ray energy dispersion spectrum, scanning and transmission electron microscopy were utilized to characterize the Ni-Cu alloy nanowire arrays. The results reveal that single crystalline Ni-Cu alloy nanowires are single crystal and that the atomic composition of Ni and Cu is very close to a 1 : 1 stoichiometry. Magnetic hysteresis loop shows that the Ni-Cu alloy nanowire arrays embedded in AAMs have perpendicular magnetic anisotropy, indicating their potential applications in perpendicular magnetic recording.