The first ever synthesis of submicron-sized rare earth hexaborides (RB 6 ; R ) La, Ce, Nd, Sm, Eu, and Gd) with a cubic morphology has been obtained by the single-step synthesis of the RAPET (reaction under autogenic pressure at elevated temperature) technique at a relatively low temperature of 900°C using metal acetate precursors. The synthesized materials have been characterized for their structural (XRD, XPS, and Raman) and morphological (TEM, HRTEM, and FESEM) properties. The XRD pattern confirms the phase purity and the formation of a single phase compound of rare earth hexaborides. Raman spectra elucidate the active vibrational modes of the hexaborides. The TEM and FESEM images clearly show that the hexaborides are submicron in size with a cubic morphology. The SAED patterns reveal the single crystalline nature of the products.

Recently it has been suggested that the complicated temperature dependence of the extraordinary Hall effect (EHE) in the itinerant ferromagnet SrRuO3 could be explained by the Berry phase effect in the crystal momentum space. We test this model by measurements of EHE as a function of an applied magnetic field at a constant temperature and show that the results seem to contradict the Berry phase mechanism.

No abstract

A simple synthetic route to prepare carbon-coated copper or nickel nanoparticles is developed in an ionic liquid under microwave heating. The obtained products are characterized by XRD, UV-spectroscopy, and Raman spectroscopy. The morphologies are studied with the help of TEM, HRSEM, and HRTEM. A bulk transport property for carbon coated nickel is reported in this letter.