Magnetic, thermal and luminescence properties in room-temperature nanosecond electron-irradiated various metal oxide nanopowders

By means of pulsed electron beam evaporation in vacuum of targets non-magnetic, in bulk state, Al2O3 and YSZ (ZrO2-8% Y2O3) oxides, magnetic nanopowders (NPs) with a high specific surface were produced. The NPs were subsequently irradiated in air by electrons with energy of 700 keV, using a URT-1 accelerator for 15 and 30 minutes. The magnetic, thermal, and pulsed cathodoluminescence (PCL) characteristics of NPs were measured before and after irradiation. It was established that the electron irradiation non-monotonically changes the magnetization of the pristine samples. To the contrary, a clear correlation between the intensity of PCL and the irradiation doses is found in the oxides. There was a decrease in the intensity of PCL after irradiation. Luminescent and thermal properties reflect the transformation of structural defects in NPs more strongly after the exposure to a pulsed electron beam in comparison with corresponding changes of the NPs magnetic response. © Published under licence by IOP Publishing Ltd.