Emergence of magnetism in bulk amorphous palladium

TL;DR

This paper reports that bulk amorphous palladium may exhibit itinerant ferromagnetism at atmospheric pressure, contrasting with its known paramagnetic crystalline form, due to structural differences and possible unsaturated bonds.

Contribution

It introduces the novel finding that amorphous palladium can become ferromagnetic, expanding understanding of magnetic properties in metallic glasses.

Findings

Amorphous palladium shows signs of itinerant ferromagnetism.

Structural differences in amorphous palladium may cause magnetic behavior.

Magnetic effects are observed at atmospheric pressure.

Abstract

Magnetism in palladium has been the subject of much work and speculation. Bulk crystalline palladium is paramagnetic with a high magnetic susceptibility. Palladium under pressure and palladium nanoclusters have generated interest to scrutinize its magnetic properties. Here we report another possibility: Palladium may become an itinerant ferromagnet in the amorphous bulk phase at atmospheric pressure. Atomic palladium is a d$^{10}$ element, whereas bulk crystalline Pd is a d$^{10-x}$(sp)$^{x}$ material; this, together with the possible presence of 'unsaturated bonds' in amorphous materials, may explain the remnant magnetism reported herein. This work presents and discusses magnetic effects in bulk amorphous palladium.