Broadband modulation of magnetic
circular dichroism (MCD) using
a relatively low magnetic field or by producing a field-free magnetoplasmonic
effect in the remnant magnetic state was achieved by the integration
of the noble metals (NMs) Au and Ag and the perpendicular magnetic
anisotropy of Co with ZnO nanowires (NWs) used as the template. The
samples containing NMs revealed MCD sign reversals and enhancements
when compared with the original Co/ZnO NWs. The magnetoplasmonic effect
of Au close to the visible light spectrum could induce the CD change
in the visible region. Notably, the ultraviolet (UV) CD in Ag/Co/ZnO
NWs is 12.5 times larger under a magnetic field (∼0.2 T) and
10 times greater in the remnant state (field-free) than those of the
original Co/ZnO NWs because of the magnetoplasmonic effect of Ag in
the UV spectrum. These results are attributable to the coupling of
the remnant magnetic state of Co magnetization, the magnetoplasmons
of the NMs, and the excitons of the ZnO NWs. The findings are potentially
applicable in magneto-optical recording, biosensing, and energy contexts
involving magnetoplasmonic functionalization.