Magnetic properties of electrodeposited Fe-poor Fe-Cu alloys

In Fe-Cu alloys prepared by pulsed electrodeposition, Fe clusters form directly within a non-magnetic Cu matrix. The clusters contain around 140 Fe atoms and are superparamagnetic at room temperature. Below 160 K, it is proposed that the clusters order into a so-called superferromagnetic arrangement. This behaviour is ascribed to the persistence of weak exchange interactions mediated by isolated Fe atoms dispersed within the non-magnetic Cu matrix.