High-Pressure Growth and Magnetic and Electrical Properties of EuB6 Nanowires

摘要

Using an iodine-assisted autoclave technique, europium hexaboride (EuB6) nanowires are successfully prepared. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) pattern confirms that the obtained black powders are pure-phase EuB6 crystals. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) and selected-area electron diffraction (SAED) images prove that the EuB6 nanowires are single crystals grown along the [001] direction. From the temperature-dependent magnetic susceptibility results, EuB6 shows strong susceptibility at low temperature under 15 K, possessing a magnetic momentum of 6.0 mu(B). An Arrott plot analysis indicates that the Curie temperature T-C of ferromagnetic ordering is about 10.1 K. Moreover, the saturated magnetic moment at 7 T and there being no clear hysteresis in the magnetic hysteresis loops suggest that EuB6 is a relatively soft ferromagnet. The electron transport measurements of the nanowire devices reveal that EuB6 nanowires have a lower output current and a higher resistance compared with bulk crystals, and may be useful for the future magnetic devices.

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