Magnetic susceptibility and surface properties of EuAlO3 nanocrystals

Nanocrystalline single-phase europium aluminate (EuAlO3) has been synthesized by modified sol-gel method with a new complexing agent - malic acid. The material has been characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy-dispersive analysis (EDS). The nanoparticles have an average size of 50 nm, a density of 7.01 g/cm(3) at T = 293 K, a specific surface area 15.0 m(2)/g and form agglomerates. The binding energies of core-level electrons of europium, aluminium, and oxygen in EuAlO3 have been found by means of X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and compared with the values for the respective elements. The temperature dependence between 300K and 2K of the experimental AC magnetic susceptibility of EuAlO3 nanocrystals has been determined and compared with the theoretical one for Eu3+. It has been confirmed that the material is paramagnetic in the entire temperature range. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.