Monte Carlo simulations of core/shell nanoparticles containing interfacial defects: Role of disordered ferromagnetic spins

Abstract In this work, we have used the Monte Carlo simulation to investigate the magnetic properties of an isolated composite magnetic nanoparticle with ferromagnetic (FM) core and antiferromagnetic (AFM) shell morphology. The defects were assumed to be randomly located at the AFM interface. The Neel anisotropy was used for the FM interface spins at where there are the lacks of crystal symmetry due to the vacancies at AFM interface. With a moderate defect concentration, the coercive field non-monotonously depends on the Neel anisotropy. We have examined the dependence of coercivity, exchange bias field, and vertical shift on defect concentration. We found that in addition to AFM shell, the disordered FM interface is another pining-source for exchange bias phenomenon. We discuss our simulated results in the relation to recent experimental findings.