Metallic spintronic nanofilm as a hydrogen sensor

Abstract

We investigate the response of palladium-cobalt bi-layer thin films to hydrogen charging at atmospheric pressure for spintronic applications. We find that hydrogen absorption by the palladium layer results in the narrowing and shifting of the ferromagnetic resonance line for the material. We explain the observed phenomena as originating from reduction in spin pumping effect and from variation in the magnetic anisotropy of the cobalt film through an interface effect. The shift of the resonance frequency or field is the easiest to detect. We utilize it to demonstrate functionality of the bi-layer films as a hydrogen sensor.