A density functional theory study of the electronic structures and magnetic properties of Fe_(1-x)Co_x alloy nanowires encapsulated in (10,0) carbon nanotubes

Under the generalized gradient approximation, the electronic structures and magnetic properties of Fe_(1-x)Co_x alloy nanowires encapsulated inside zigzag (10,0) carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are investigated systematically using firstprinciple density functional theory calculations. For the fully relaxed Fe_(1-x)Co_x/CNT structures, all the C atoms relax outwards, and thus the diameters of the CNTs are slightly increased. Formation energy analysis shows that the combining processes of all Fe_(1-x)Co_x/CNT systems are exothermic, and therefore the Fe_(1-x)Co_xalloy nanowires can be encapsulated into semiconducting zigzag (10,0) CNTs and form stable hybrid structures. The charges are transferred from the Fe_(1-x)Co_xnanowires to the more electronegative CNTs, and the Fe-C/Co-C bonds formed have polar covalent bond characteristics. Both the spin polarization and total magnetic moment of the Fe_(1-x)Co_x/CNT system are smaller than those of the corresponding freestanding Fe_(1-x)Co_xnanowire, and the magnetic moment of the Fe_(1-x)Co_x/CNT system decreases monotonously with increasing Co concentration, but the Fe_(1-x)Co_x/CNT systems still have a large magnetic moment, implying that they can be utilized in high-density magnetic recording devices.