A Mössbauer study of R6Fe13X (R=Pr,Nd; X=In,Sn, Tl,Pb, Cu,Ag, Au)

Compounds with the composition R₆Fe₁₃X (R=Pr, Nd; X=In, Sn, Tl, Pb, Cu, Ag, Au) were studied by⁵⁷Fe Mössbauer spectroscopy. Attention was focused on the influence of the easy axis of the magnetization on the shape of the hyperfine patterns. The spectra are composed of at least four subpatterns, originating from the different Fe lattice sites. Contrary to the magnetization, a significant dependence of the hyperfine parameters on the specific elements R and X could not be detected. Predominantly, the easy axis of the magnetization was found to lie within the basal plane; only for R=Nd and X=In, Sn, Tl, Pb is an easyc-axis present. Since the low temperature magnetization data obtained for the different compounds show a wide spread, while the⁵⁷Fe hyperfine fields remain almost constant over the whole series, some kind of antiferromagnetic ordering within the Fe sublattice is anticipated.     

Hyperfine magnetic fields in Fe−Co alloys and their tempera ture dependences

We obtained⁵⁷Fe hyperfine field parameters from Fe₁−x-Co _x alloys (0≤x≤0.6) from 77 K to 900 K. We first discuss the origin of the low temperature hyperfine fields in terms of the 3d and 4s electrons at⁵⁷Fe atoms. The⁵⁷Fe hyperfine magnetic field (hmf) of Fe-Co alloys depends more weakly on temperature than the hmf of pure Fe. This temperature dependence occurs because the alignment of the magnetic moments at both the Fe atoms and at the Co atoms depend on temperature in the same way as the bulk magnetization of Fe-Co alloys.     

Study of NiFe2O4 nanoparticles using Mössbauer spectroscopy with a high velocity resolution

The nanocrystalline NiFe₂O₄ particles prepared by solution combustion synthesis technique using different fuels such as ethylene-diamine-tetra-acetic acid (NA sample) and urea (NB sample) were studied using magnetic measurement and ⁵⁷Fe Mössbauer spectroscopy with a high velocity resolution. The temperature dependence of magnetization is different for the two samples. Mössbauer spectra demonstrate the necessity to use more than two magnetic sextets, usually used to fit the NiFe₂O₄ nanoparticles spectra. Evaluation of the different local microenvironments for Fe in both tetrahedral (A) and octahedral (B) sites, caused by different Ni^2?+? occupation of octahedral sites, demonstrates at least five different local microenvironments for both A and B sites. Therefore, the Mössbauer spectra were fitted by using ten magnetic sextets which are related to the spread ⁵⁷Fe location in octahedral and tetrahedral sites.     

A study of nanosized Ni substituted Co–Zn ferrite prepared by coprecipitation

Nanoparticles of Ni_0.25Co_0.25Zn_0.5Fe₂O₄ with different particle sizes were synthesized by chemical coprecipitation technique. The prepared nanoparticles were characterized and studied by X-ray diffraction, room temperature ⁵⁷Fe Mössbauer spectroscopy and DC magnetization. Increase in annealing temperature leads to inversion of cations from their normal configurations which results in an increase in the hyperfine fields at both tetrahedral A and octahedral B sites. The decrease in saturation magnetization values with an increase in annealing temperature can be attributed to the variation in proportions of superparamagnetic phase and also the redistribution of cations in these ferrite nanoparticles. Variation of coercivity with annealing temperatures can be explained in terms of the size effect.     

Spin glass behavior in the new amorphous alloys M2SnTe4 (M=Cr,Mn, Fe)

The amorphous alloys M₂SnTe₄ (M=Cr, Mn, Fe) are prepared by a new method involving the oxidation of main group polyanions (Zintl anions) by transition metal cations in solution at or below room temperature. The M₂SnTe₄ materials undergo a transition to a spin glass state at 12 K ? T_f ? 20 K and were characterized by dc magnetization, ⁵⁷Fe and ¹¹⁹Sn Mossbauer and x-ray diffraction measurements as well as the behavior of the remanent magnetization.     

Magnetic order in Y6(57Fe:Mn)23H26

The ferrimagnetic compound Y₆Mn₂₃ and its hydride Y₆Mn₂₃H₂₆, both doped with 0.5%⁵⁷Fe, have been investigated using the ⁵⁷Fe Mössbauer resonance and dc field magnetization measurements. For the hydride a small ⁵⁷Fe magnetic hyperfine field is observed to increase abruptly below 110 K whereas the bulk magnetization results suggest antiferromagnetic ordering at T_N≈ 180 K.     

A note on exchange and crystal field interactions in R2Fe14B compounds: Yb2Fe14B

The R₂Fe₁₄B phase has been found to exist for R=Yb. The magnetic properties presented in this paper complete the characterization of the compounds in this series for which the Stevens α_J coefficient of the R³⁺ ion is positive. ⁵⁷Fe Mössbauer spectroscopy establishes the existence of a magnetization reorientation at 115 K of the type observed in Er and Tm compounds associated with a small Fe magnetization anisotropy. From the neutron diffraction measurements obtained at 4.2 K with and without an applied magnetic field, the easy direction of magnetization was found to be along the [100] direction, in the basal plane of the tetragonal structure. These results show that in all compounds where α_J>0 for the R³⁺ ion, the easy direction of magnetization in the plane is determined by the second order crystal field terms and rare earth-Fe exchange interactions and is independent of the sign of the 4th order crystal field terms.     

Direction of magnetization and domain wall mobility in (Dy,Y)Fe2

Magnetization measurements in the (Dy _x Y_1−x )Fe₂ intermetallic compounds show evidence of blocking of domain wall motion. This effect is a function of concentrationx. The direction of magnetization is also dependent on the Dy concentration. We have used the Mossbauer spectroscopy of⁵⁷Fe to verify the direction of magnetization in the series as a function ofx and temperature. The results show that this change in easy direction occurs at higher temperatures than those where the blocking is detected through DC magnetization measurements. supported by RHAE/SCT.     

Magnetic property and Mössbauer analysis of SrSn<Subscript>1−<Emphasis Type="Italic">x</Emphasis></Subscript>Fe<Subscript><Emphasis Type="Bold">x</Emphasis></Subscript>O<Subscript>3</Subscript> prepared by a sol-gel method

The dilute magnetic properties of SrSn_1?xFe_xO₃ (x = 0.01 ? 0.15) prepared by sol-gel and thermal decomposition methods were investigated by ⁵⁷Fe Mössbauer spectrometry, magnetometry, and X-ray diffractometry. It was found that SrSnO₃ doped with 2–8 % Fe show weak ferromagnetism although only paramagnetic doublets are observed in ⁵⁷Fe Mössbauer spectra at room temperature (RT), whereas SrSnO₃ doped with 10–15 % Fe show relatively strong ferromagnetism, and the sextets are additionally observed in the ⁵⁷Fe Mössbauer spectra at RT. The weak ferromagnetism by doping 2–8 % Fe is considered to be caused by the induced magnetic defects, and the ferromagnetism by doping 10–15 % Fe are considered mainly due to the magnetic coupling between dilute Fe ³⁺ partially substituted at Sn ⁴⁺ sites in the orthorhombic structure of SrSnO_3?δ accompanying the oxygen deficiencies. It is further remarkable that poor crystalline 8 % Fe doped SrSnO_3?δ obtained by annealing at 600 ^°C shows relatively high saturation magnetization and low coercivity.     

Magnetic and 57Fe Mössbauer studies of collinear spin rotation in Ho2Fe14B

Magnetic properties of Ho₂Fe₁₄B compounds have been studied by the ⁵⁷Fe Mössbauer effect and magnetization measurements. The axes of easy and hard magnetizations lie along the [001] and the [100] directions in the tetragonal structure, respectively, above T_sc = 58 K. From the comparison of the Mössbauer results with the magnetization measurements, it became clear that the Fe and the Ho moments tilt collinearly from the c-axis to the [110] direction throughout the temperature range of 4.2–58 K, and the canting angle reaches to 22° at 4.2 K. The Mössbauer spectra are consistently resolved with six subspectra above T_sc and with twelve below T_sc, together with reasonable site-assignments. We have estimated the mean Ho moment at 10.0μ_B, using the mean Fe moment of 2.3μ_B derived from the average hyperfine field or using the magnetization of Y₂Fe₁₄B as the Fe-sublattice magnetization of Ho₂Fe₁₄B.     

Magnetic and Mössbauer studies of pure and Ti-doped YFeO 3 nanocrystalline particles prepared by mechanical milling and subsequent sintering

Single-phased nanocrystalline particles of pure and 10 % Ti ⁴⁺-doped perovskite-related YFeO ₃were prepared via mechanosynthesis at 450^°C. This temperature is ～150–350 ^°C lower than those at which the materials, in bulk form, are normally prepared. Rietveld refinements of the X-ray diffraction patterns reveal that the dopant Ti ⁴⁺ ions prefer interstitial octahedral sites in the orthorhombic crystal lattice rather than those originally occupied by the expelled Fe ³⁺ ions. Magnetic measurements show canted antiferromagnetism in both types of nanoparticles. Doping with Ti ⁴⁺ lowers the Néel temperature of the YFeO ₃ nanoparticles from ～ 586 K to ～ 521 K. The Ti ⁴⁺-doped YFeO ₃ nanoparticles exhibit enhanced magnetization and coercivity but less magnetic hyperfine fields relative to the un-doped nanoparticles. The ⁵⁷Fe Mössbauer spectra show ～ 15 % of the YFeO ₃ nanoparticles and ～22 of Ti ⁴⁺-doped YFeO ₃ ones to be superparamagnetic with blocking temperatures < 78 K. The broadened magnetic components in the ⁵⁷Fe Mössbauer spectra suggest size-dependent hyperfine magnetic fields at the ⁵⁷Fe nuclear sites and were associated with collective magnetic excitations. The ⁵⁷Fe Mössbauer spectra show the local environments of the Fe ³⁺ ions in the superparamagnetic nanoparticles to be more sensitive to the presence of the Ti ⁴⁺ ions relative to those in the larger magnetic nanoparticles.     

Energy calibration issues in nuclear resonant vibrational spectroscopy: observing small spectral shifts and making fast calibrations

The conventional energy calibration for nuclear resonant vibrational spectroscopy (NRVS) is usually long. Meanwhile, taking NRVS samples out of the cryostat increases the chance of sample damage, which makes it impossible to carry out an energy calibration during one NRVS measurement. In this study, by manipulating the 14.4 keV beam through the main measurement chamber without moving out the NRVS sample, two alternative calibration procedures have been proposed and established: (i) an in situ calibration procedure, which measures the main NRVS sample at stage A and the calibration sample at stage B simultaneously, and calibrates the energies for observing extremely small spectral shifts; for example, the 0.3 meV energy shift between the 100%‐⁵⁷Fe‐enriched [Fe₄S₄Cl₄]⁼ and 10%‐⁵⁷Fe and 90%‐⁵⁴Fe labeled [Fe₄S₄Cl₄]⁼ has been well resolved; (ii) a quick‐switching energy calibration procedure, which reduces each calibration time from 3–4 h to about 30 min. Although the quick‐switching calibration is not in situ, it is suitable for normal NRVS measurements.     

Unique magnetic behaviour of TmFeAl

The magnetic properties of the compound TmFeAl have been studied using⁵⁷Fe and¹⁶⁹Tm Mössbauer spectroscopy, magnetic measurements and neutron depolarization (ND). The compound exhibits a complex magnetic behaviour. At 4 K it contains a Tm moment of 7 _B and a distribution of Fe moments with an average of 0.5 _B. Between 10 and 60 K a distribution in magnetic ordering temperatures is observed. ND displays the growth of small magnetic domains when the temperature decreases towards 4 K. The structural disorder of the Fe atoms in the lattice combined with the competing exchange interactions between the different types of atoms and the high anisotropy of the Tm moment gives rise to the observed magnetic behaviour. Results of high field magnetization and⁵⁷Fe Mössbauer spectroscopy are presented also for GdFeAl and YFeAl.     

On the magnetic order in R(57Fe)Mn2

In the present study,⁵⁷Fe is used as a local probe in order to monitor both the development of the Mn moment and its temperature dependence. The different crystal structures present (C15 and C14) were found to only insignificantly influence the hyperfine pattern. Both the simultaneous presence of magnetic and non-magnetic Mn atoms and the specific easy axis of magnetization in a given compound is found to lead to the occurrence of additional subspectra. Within the Mössbauer effect time window, no substantial magnetic correlations could be detected aboveT _C.     

Investigation of the hydrides of Ni0.70Cu0.30 by57Fe Mössbauer spectroscopy and magnetization measurements

Hydrides of Ni_0.70Cu_0.30 prepared both electrolytically and under high pressures of hydrogen gas were studied by Mössbauer spectroscopy on dilute⁵⁷Fe probes and by magnetization measurements. At hydrogen-to-metal ratios abovex≈0.3 no ferromagnetism is observed down to 4.2 K. The dependence of the mean change of the isomer shift on the hydrogen content of the samples reveals a repulsive interaction between the hydrogen interstitials and the iron probes. The effect of this interaction is, however, less pronounced than for⁵⁷Fe in the hydrides of pure nickel. This difference can be attributed to a competition of the repulsive Fe?H and Cu?H interactions.     

After effects of ec decay of57Co in Mg(1-x)FexSO4.7H2O mixed crystals

After effects due to the EC decay of⁵⁷Co in the mixed crystals (Mg,Fe)SO₄·7H₂O were studied. When the Fe concentrationx=Fe/(Fe+Mg) is 0.4≈0.5, the surroundings of⁵⁷Fe have the characteristics of orthorhombic MgSO₄·7H₂O although the crystal structure is monoclinic. This fact suggests a possibility of transient release of the Jahn-Teller transformation.     

In-beam Mössbauer study of 57Fe using a secondary 57Mn beam and ion implantation

We have succeeded in obtaining well-resolved M?ssbauer spectra of ⁵⁷Fe arising from short-lived ⁵⁷Mn ( T _1/2 = 1.45 min) in Si and KMnO₄. The M?ssbauer spectra of ⁵⁷Fe in Si are well fitted with a curve consisting of two singlet lines, one being assigned as the interstitial Fe atoms and the other as substitutional ones. The relative intensities of the two lines infer that 60% of ⁵⁷Fe ( ←⁵⁷Mn) atoms land at the interstitial sites and 40% at the substitutional sites at temperatures between 30 K and 296 K. The result for the KMnO₄ sample suggests a presence of an exotic chemical species corresponding to a higher valence state than Fe^{6 +}. Received: 1 May 2001 / Accepted: 4 December 2001     

<Superscript>57</Superscript>Fe NMR study of amorphous and rapidly quenched crystalline Fe-B alloys

Amorphous and crystalline Fe-B alloys (5–25 at % B) were studied using pulsed ⁵⁷Fe nuclear magneticr esonance at 4.2 K. The alloy samples were prepared from a mixture of the ⁵⁷Fe and ¹⁰B isotopes by rapid quenching from the melt. In the microcrystalline Fe-(5–12 at %) B alloys, the resonance frequencies were measured for local states of ⁵⁷Fe nuclei in the tetragonal and orthorhombic Fe₃B phases and also in α-Fe. The resonance frequencies characteristic of ⁵⁷Fe nuclei in α-Fe crystallites with substitutional impurity boron atoms in the nearest neighborhood were also revealed. In the resonance frequency distribution P(f) in the amorphous Fe-(18–25) at % B alloys, there are frequencies corresponding to local Fe atom states with short-range order of the tetragonal and orthorhombic Fe₃B phases. As the boron content decreases below 18 at %, the P(f) distributions are shifted to higher frequencies corresponding to ⁵⁷Fe NMR for atoms exhibiting a short-range order of the α-Fe type. The local magnetic structure of the amorphous Fe-B alloys is also considered.     

57Mössbauer studies in the double transition Ce(Fe1−xCox)2 alloys

The reported double transition in the series Ce(Fe_1–xCo_x)₂ for x<0.3 has been shown to be due to spin reorientation from Mossbauer measurements at⁵⁷Fe. It is suggested that the competing interactions with randomly substitution of Fe by Co atoms causes a quasi random freezing which results in abrupt loss of magnetization.     

Electric field gradients at57Fe impurities in crystalline NiB phases

The electric field gradient (EFG) parameters are investigated by in-field Mössbauer spectroscopy at⁵⁷Fe doping the crystalline compounds Ni₃B, Ni₂B, Ni₄B₃ and NiB. A preferential substitution of Ni by Fe is found in Ni₃B and Ni₄B₃. The knowledge of q_zz and at both the 3d metal and boron sites /1/ permits to develop a representation of EFG in terms of empirical screened point charges.