Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Structural Evolution And Magnetic Properties Of Gd2hf2o7 Nanocrystals: Computational And Experimental Investigations, Madhab Pokhrel, N. Dimakis, Gamage Chamath Dannangoda, Santosh K. Gupta, Karen S. Martirosyan, Yuanbing Mao

Physics and Astronomy Faculty Publications and Presentations

Structural evolution in functional materials is a physicochemical phenomenon, which is important from a fundamental study point of view and for its applications in magnetism, catalysis, and nuclear waste immobilization. In this study, we used x-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy to examine the Gd₂Hf₂O₇ (GHO) pyrochlore, and we showed that it underwent a thermally induced crystalline phase evolution. Superconducting quantum interference device measurements were carried out on both the weakly ordered pyrochlore and the fully ordered phases. These measurements suggest a weak magnetism for both pyrochlore phases. Spin density calculations showed that the Gd^{3+ …}