Abstract
High-aspect-ratio Fe1-xMnxSi nanowires with room-temperature ferromagnetism were synthesized by a chemical vapor deposition method in one step. This is the first report of ternary silicide nanowires using magnetic Mn ions to partially replace metal sites in the host matrix. Excellent magnetic characteristics of Fe1-xMnxSi nanowires, which exhibit strong ferromagnetism at room temperature and high magnetoresistance variation, were found. The magnetization versus magnetic field curves of Fe1-xMnxSi nanowires is much less sensitive to the temperature variation from 10 K to 300 K than those of FeSi nanowires. Remarkably, the excellent MR performance, -41.6% at 25 K with a magnetic field of 9 T, was demonstrated for an individual Fe0.88Mn0.12Si nanowire.