Magnetic switching due to hydrogen absorption in Co/Pd multilayers

Co/Pd multilayers with cobalt thicknesses ranging from 2.5 {\AA} to 12 {\AA} and palladium thicknesses ranging from 6.5 {\AA} to 15 {\AA} have been fabricated by d. c. sputtering on Al$_{2}$O$_{3}$ (110) in an argon atmosphere. The morphological and structural characterizations revealed smooth surfaces, layered structure and highly oriented growth in the [111] direction. The magnetic and electronic transport properties were measured in a hydrogen and helium atmosphere at room temperature using a vibrating sample magnetometer and a four-point technique a with current-in-plane configuration, respectively. All samples exhibited significant changes on the magnetic and transport properties as a function of hydrogen absorption. These preliminary results show that these devices may be used effectively as corrosion resistant hydrogen sensors and hydrogen storage devices.