Hydrogen Absorption in Pd-based Nanostructures - Final Report

Pd is known to absorb hydrogen. Molecules are normally chemisorbed at the surface in a process where the molecule breaks into two hydrogen atoms, and the protons are then absorbed into the bulk. This process consists of electron filling holes in the Pd 4d band near the Fermi energy, which due to the high density of states at the Fermi energy, is an energetically favorable process. Our aim with this project was to determine possible changes in magnetic properties with Pd nm-length-scale thick layers intercalated by magnetic materials. Before the start of this work, the literature indicated that there were several possible scenarios by which this could happen: i) the Pd will be magnetized due to a proximity effect with nearby magnetic layers, resulting in changes in the magnetization due to H2 absorption; ii) some H will be absorbed into the magnetic layers, causing a change in the magnetic exchange interactions; or iii) absorption of H2 will cause an expansion of the lattice, resulting in a magnetoelastic effect which changes the magnetic properties