Abstract

In this work, gradient-sized Pr6O11 powders were fabricated via a wet ball-milling method with variable milling durations. The microstructural evolution and temperature-dependent magnetic properties of different Pr6O11 powders were systematically investigated. The results reveal that wet ball-milling effectively refines powder particle size and introduces controllable lattice defects without altering the intrinsic crystal structure. Magnetic measurements over a temperature range of 3–300 K demonstrate that the unmilled powder exhibits typical paramagnetic behavior. However, milling-induced particle refinement significantly enhances the low-temperature magnetic moments of Pr6O11, accompanied by characteristic superparamagnetic hysteresis at 3 K. Furthermore, the fitted paramagnetic Curie temperature θp and Curie constant C confirm that the magnetic regulation is milling-affected and dependent on milling time. Prolonged milling above 1 day cannot continuously increase low-temperature magnetic moments. The above temperature-dependent magnetic properties of milled Pr6O11 can possibly be attributed to milling-induced grain refinement and lattice distortion, as supported by the microstructure analysis. This work provides valuable physical insights into the low-temperature magnetic properties of Pr6O11 and offers guidance for its magnetic functional applications.

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