Abstract

In order to study the influence of magnetic interactions on the blocking temperature of magnetic nanoparticles, magnetization measurements were carried out on a discontinuous Co/SiO2 multilayer. The observed field dependence of the blocking temperature does not fit any of the non-interacting laws commonly used to describe this behavior. We applied a generalized model which considers a field-dependent magnetic correlation length. This model explains well the experimental results and can be used in other nanoparticulate systems. © 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.