Magnetic Nanostructures

Magnetic nanowires and nanoparticles exhibit multifunctional properties and are useful in a broad range of applications such as drug or gene delivery, or for magnetic imaging. In contrast, there has been very little work reported on magnetic nanotubes, which represent a new class of anisotropic multifunctional nanoparticles. By coating the inner or outer nanotube wall with oxides, polymers, biomolecules or metals, a broad range of physical and chemical properties may be realised within a single structure. In comparison with nanowires, nanotubes have very low mass and may therefore be more suitable for appli-cations in ferrofluids or drug delivery. We will investigate novel approaches on the fabrication of multifunctional nanowires and nanotubes by using highly-ordered porous alumina templates, polymer infiltration, and electrochemical deposition techniques. The emphasis is on the magnetic characterisation of ferromagnetic nanotubes.