Room temperature ferromagnetic-like response in “bulk” Y-doped CeO<inf>2</inf>

Abstract

© 2017 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, WeinheimStrong ferromagnetic-like response is observed at room temperature in “bulk”- and nano-crystalline Y-doped CeO2. The saturation magnetization for “bulk” (∼600 nm) crystallites of CeO2 doped with 25 at.% Y is more than an order of magnitude higher compared to its nanocrystalline (∼10 nm) counterpart. High frequency electron spin resonance and 89Y nuclear magnetic resonance measurements indicate clustering of electronic defects in the “bulk” crystallites. The remarkable size dependence of the magnetic behavior likely originates from a collective magnetic response of defect-lined nanodomain interfaces in the “bulk” crystallites, consistent with the giant orbital paramagnetism model.