Abstract
Bimetallic nanomaterials in the form of thin film constituted by magnetic and noble elements show promising properties in different application fields such as catalysts and magnetic driven applications. In order to tailor the chemical and physical properties of these alloys to meet the applications requirements, it is of great importance scientific interest to study the interplay between properties and morphology, surface properties, microstructure, spatial confinement and magnetic features. In this manuscript, FePd thin films are prepared by electrodeposition which is a versatile and widely used technique. Compositional, morphological, surface and magnetic properties are described as a function of deposition time (i.e., film thickness). Chemical etching in hydrochloric acid was used to enhance the surface roughness and help decoupling crystalline grains with direct consequences on to the magnetic properties. X-ray diffraction, SEM/AFM images, contact angle and magnetic measurements have been carried out with the aim of providing a comprehensive characterisation of the fundamental properties of these bimetallic thin films.