Magnetic Characteristics of CuCr₂S₄ Nanospinels Obtained by Mechanical Alloying and Heat Treatment

摘要

Chalcogenide bulk spinels with general formula CuCr₂X₄ (X = S, Se, and Te) are ferromagnetic and p-type metallic materials with the thermoelectric figure of merit of 0.15. They can be used to dope or alloy with related semiconducting spinels. Therefore, it is expected that their nanosized crystallites display also unique properties and new potential applications. This paper presents the results of dc and ac magnetic measurements, including the higher harmonics of ac magnetic susceptibility as well as electrical conductivity and thermoelectric power of the CuCr2S4 nanospinels. These studies showed that decreasing the size of crystallites to nanometer scale leads to a dramatic change in their physical properties.