Influence of surface spins on the magnetization of fine maghemite nanoparticles

Influence of surface spins on magnetization of maghemite nanoparticles have been studied by using SQUID measurements and also comparison done with theoretical simulations. Surface spin disorder arises in these nanoparticles due to the randomness of surface spins. A model of AC-susceptibility has been used to investigate the experimental results. The comparison between experiment and theory signifies the presence of large effective anisotropy and freezing effects on the surface of maghemite nanoparticles. The enhanced effective anisotropy constant of these nanoparticles as compared to bulk maghemite is due to presence of disordered surface spins.