Transport and magnetic properties of isolated cobalt nanowires

A multiprobe connection setup has been used to study the magnetoresistance (MR) of isolated electrodeposited ferromagnetic cobalt nanowires. The MR hysteresis loops taken along different segments of the same 60-nm-diameter Co wire are found to be completely different, pointing out local inhomogeneity of the magnetic anisotropy along the same wire. These results are corroborated both by magnetic force microscopy (MFM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) experiments, showing a mixing of parallel and perpendicular c-axis orientations along the wire.