The anisotropy field of FePt L10nanoparticles controlled by very thin Pt layer

We have prepared epitaxial FePt L1 0 (001) nanoparticles covered with Pt [ d Pt nm]/Ag[(4− d Pt ) nm] overlayers. The particles are oblate spheroids approximately 10 nm in diameter and 2 nm in height. The anisotropy field H k at 0 K, which is evaluated from the temperature dependences of coercivity H c , decreases from 90 to 60 kOe on increasing the Pt thickness from d Pt = 0 to 1.5 nm, while the energy barrier at zero field remains unchanged. The significant reduction of H k due to the presence of the adjacent Pt layer can be attributed to an enhanced magnetic moment caused by the ferromagnetic polarization of Pt atoms at the interface. This finding suggests an effective method of controlling the switching field of FePt L1 0 nanoparticles.