Engineering Commons^™

The Effects Of Nanoscale Disorder On The Paramagnetic To Ferromagnetic Transition In Melt-Spun Gadolinium And Gadolinium Iron Alloys, Justin Gary Bohnet

Honors Program Theses

As nanoscale science continues to flourish, scientists strive to understand how structure and order (or disorder) on the nanoscale contribute to macroscopic properties, such as magnetism. This study examines alloys of gadolinium and iron that have been nanostructured through the process of melt-spinning. The result was a two-part system consisting of small (~70 nm) gadolinium grains surrounded by an amorphous gadolinium and iron matrix. Measurements of the samples’ DC magnetization and AC susceptibility were performed. By looking at the paramagnetic to ferromagnetic transition in the materials, the critical exponents were obtained and used to classify and understand how the addition …