Structure and order in cobalt/platinum-type nanoalloys: from thin films to supported clusters

Among nanoalloys, Co–Pt type (CoPt or FePt) supported nanostructures are very interesting systems due to the direct link between atom arrangement and magnetic behavior. In addition, these alloys become model systems in the field of nanoalloys, due to the diversity of atom arrangements either present in the bulk state or specific to the nanoscale (chemically ordered L1₀, L1₂, or disordered fcc structures, core–shell, five-fold structures – icosahedral or decahedral, etc.). The synergy between experimental and modeling efforts has allowed the emergence of an overview of the structural, morphological and chemical behaviors of CoPt-based supported nanoparticles in terms of phase diagrams (temperature, composition, size effect), kinetic behavior (growth, annealing, ordering), and also in terms of environment effects (substrate, capping, matrix, gas) and of magnetic properties. All aspects of this complexity are reviewed: synthesis strategies (physical deposition, cluster beam deposition and wet chemical methods), magnetic behavior (atomic magnetic moment, magnetic anisotropy energy), structural transitions (non-crystalline/crystalline structures, order/disorder, surface/interface segregation), etc. In this field, the investigation techniques, such as electron microscopy and X-ray scattering or absorption techniques, are generally used at their ultimate limit due the small size of the studied objects. Finally, several aspects of the annealing process, which is a key phenomenon to achieve the chemical order, have been discussed in both thermodynamic and kinetic points of view (size effect, critical temperature, annealing time, twinning, coalescence, etc.).