Although magnetism is one of the oldest branches of solid-state physics, studies of nanomagnetism are extremely vigorous in recent years, because of the accelerating miniaturization of magnetic units in spintronics devices, which drives the sizes of the magnetic units down to nanometer scale. In this realm, the magnetic anisotropy is the critical factor because it prevents the random spin reorientation induced by thermal fluctuation. Extensive theoretical and experimental efforts have been made to enhance the magnetic anisotropy of the magnetic nanostructures to promote the stability of the magnetization, for the potential applications at high temperature. In this review, we will take a series of examples to address how the magnetic properties including the magnetic anisotropy can be manipulated, as well as the underlying mechanism associated with the manipulation. Thorough understanding of the magnetism of magnetic nanostructures not only provides guidance for engineering the magnetic properties in experiment, but also predicts promising candidates for applications in spintronics devices.
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