Copper Nickel Magnetism: Understanding the Effects of Adding Copper to Nickel

[sniffer]

why adding copper to nickel result in reduced magnetism of nickel?

 

[Gokul43201]

Ni is ferromagnetic. Cu is not. When Cu is added to Ni, they form an isomorphous substitutional alloy. Some of the Ni atoms are replaced by Cu atoms.

To put it simpistically, the interaction between a Ni-atom and a Cu-atom is not a ferromagnetic interaction. For a ferromagnetic interaction between 2 atoms, you must have the right extent of orbital overlap - and this depends on the shape of the valence wavefunctions as well as the separation between atoms. In a substitutional alloy, you are not changing the interatomic spacing, but by changing the atoms, you are changing the valence orbital shapes/sizes. By making some of the near-neighbor interactions be paramagnetic instead of ferromagnetic, you are reducing the magnetization.

 

[charng]

The addition of copper to nickel can result in reduced magnetism because copper is a non-magnetic material. When copper is added to nickel, it disrupts the alignment of the magnetic domains within the nickel, making it less magnetic. This is due to the fact that copper has a different atomic structure and electron configuration compared to nickel, which affects its ability to form magnetic fields. Therefore, the more copper is added to nickel, the less magnetic the overall material becomes. Additionally, the presence of copper can also create magnetic domains that oppose the ones in nickel, further decreasing its overall magnetism.