LAUSR

Abstract Pure and 5–30 mol% metallic Mn-alloyed partially as well as fully stabilized cubic zirconia nanoparticles were prepared by 10 h mechanical alloying of monoclinic ZrO2 and Mn metal powders. Structure and microstructure characterizations of the ball-milled powders were carried out by analyzing respective XRD patterns employing the Rietveld refinement method. It is found that Mn, a transition metal with [Ar3d54s2] electronic configuration acts as a stabilizing element for the cubic ZrO2 phase. Lattice parameters, oxygen vacancy, particle size, microstrain and relative phase abundances of monoclinic and cubic phases of ZrO2 were calculated for all the compounds to elucidate the possible dependence of these parameters on Mn incorporation in ZrO2 lattice. The magnetic behaviour of the nanoparticles was studied at different temperatures under a wide range of applied magnetic field. Effects of Mn incorporation on the microstructure and magnetic behaviour of zirconia nanoparticles were studied to explain the possible origin of magnetism in undoped monoclinic and Mn-stabilized cubic zirconia nanoparticles.