Room temperature Ferromagnetism in Th1-xFexO2-d (x = 0.0, 0.05, 0.10, 0.15, 0.20 and 0.25) nanoparticles

TL;DR

This study demonstrates that Fe-doped ThO2 nanoparticles exhibit room temperature ferromagnetism, with structural analysis confirming impurity-free cubic phases up to a certain doping level.

Contribution

It reports the synthesis and detailed structural and magnetic characterization of Fe-doped ThO2 nanoparticles showing room temperature ferromagnetism, a novel finding for this material system.

Findings

Ferromagnetism observed above room temperature.

Impurity-free cubic structure maintained up to 20% Fe doping.

Structural confirmation via XRD and HRTEM analyses.

Abstract

Nanocrystalline (Th1-xFex)O2-d particles with different Fe concentrations (x = 0.0, 0.05, 0.10, 0.15, 0.20 and 0.25) have been prepared by a gel combustion method. Rietveld refinement analyses of X-ray diffraction data revealed the formation of an impurity free cubic type Th1-xFexO2-d structure up to x = 0.20. This observation is further confirmed from the detailed studies conducted on 10 at. percent Fe doped ThO2 using high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) imaging and indexing of the selected-area electron diffraction (SAED) patterns. DC Magnetization studies as a function field indicate that they are ferromagnetic with Curie temperature (Tc) well above room temperature.