Magnetic properties of palladium and palladium-platinum alloy of various hydrogen content

Magnetic properties of palladium and palladium-platinum alloy (Pd-Pt) of different hydrogen content were measured in a hydrogen atmosphere at ambient temperature using a superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID) magnetometer. It was found that the magnetic susceptibility of Pd and Pd-Pt alloy decreased with increasing hydrogen content. These results were attributed to a change in the electronic structure of the valence band. Increasing hydrogen content in Pd and Pd-Pt alloy causes the Fermi level to rise and the density of states at Fermi level to decrease. Since the magnetic susceptibility is proportional to the density of states at the Fermi level, the magnetic susceptibility decreases with increasing hydrogen content. The magnetic susceptibility of Pd-Pt was smaller than that of Pd over the whole hydrogen content range. This was ascribed to the higher position of the Fermi level of Pd-Pt than that of Pd.