Synthesis and magnetic behavior of GdN

摘要

New procedures, employing the use of fractional distillation, have been developed for the synthesis and purification of GdN. Distilled and undistilled GdN exhibit different magnetic behavior, both being sensitive to oxygen impurities. The zero field magnetic moment of a virgin sample of distilled GdN is zero but with increasing field exhibits features of ferromagnetic behavior. For distilled GdN, an increase in oxygen concentration from 0.8 to 5.8 at.% decreases the paramagnetic Curie temperature from 90 to 60 K. Undistilled GdN, having a large nitrogen deficiency, shows ferromagnetic behavior.