Diffusion-Driven Crystal Structure Transformation: Synthesis of Heusler Alloy Fe3Si Nanowires

Abstract

We report fabrication of Heusler alloy Fe3Si nanowires by a diffusion-driven crystal-structure transformation method from paramagnetic FeSi nanowires. Magnetic measurements of the Fe3Si nanowire ensemble show high-temperature ferromagnetic properties with T-c >> 370 K. This methodology is also successfully applied to Co2Si nanowires in order to obtain metal-rich nanowires (Co) as another evidence of the structural transformation process. Our newly developed nanowire crystal transformation method would be valuable as a general method to fabricate metal-rich suicide nanowires that are otherwise difficult to synthesize.