On spin-canting in maghemite particles

The degree of alignment of the magnetic moments of Fe3+ ions in ultrafine maghemite particles has been studied in samples with induced magnetic texture. The textured samples were prepared by freezing ferrofluids, containing 7.5 nm maghemite particles, in a magnetic field. Mössbauer spectroscopy studies of the textured samples in large magnetic fields demonstrate that the lack of full alignment is not an effect of large magnetic anisotropy, as suggested recently, but that the effect is rather due to canting of individual spins.