AIP Advances (Sep 2024)

One-step ultrafast Joule heating synthesis of EuB6 ceramics and their electronic transport and magnetic properties

  • Chen Li,
  • Jia-Yi Xu,
  • Yang Chen,
  • Zhen-Tao Liu,
  • Fang Tang,
  • Jian-Feng Lai,
  • Zhao-Cai Wang,
  • Yong Fang,
  • Mao Ye,
  • Ren-Kui Zheng

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0218210
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 14, no. 9
pp. 095028 – 095028-10

Abstract

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The synthesis of high-performance rare-earth borides (e.g., RB2, RB4, R2B5, RB6, RB12, and RB66) typically necessitates sintering at high temperatures and high pressures for prolonged durations. Traditional methods, such as hot-pressing sintering and spark plasma sintering, are marked by high production costs and low efficiency. Here, using EuB6 as an example, we demonstrate the successful synthesis of rare-earth boride ceramics utilizing the one-step ultrafast joule heating technology. Using this method, we optimized the sintering temperature and duration and synthesized EuB6 ceramics with superior electronic and magnetic properties at 1600 °C in just 5 min. The EuB6 ceramics prepared under optimized conditions show distinct paramagnetic to ferromagnetic phase transition, significant negative magnetoresistance, and enhanced magnetization. The combination of the one-step ultrafast Joule heating technology and boron thermal reduction method offers a simple and fast synthesis approach for fabricating polycrystalline EuB6 and may be extended to prepare other rare-earth and transition-metal borides.