A new
type of uranium binary hydride, UH2, with the
CaF2 crystal structure, was synthesized in a thin-film
form using reactive sputter deposition at low temperatures. The material
has a grain size of 50–100 nm. The lattice parameter a = (535.98 ± 0.14 pm) is close to that in known Np
(534.3 pm) and Pu (535.9 pm) iso-types. UH2 is a metallic
ferromagnet with the Curie temperature T
C ≈ 120 K. A very wide hysteresis loop indicates strong magnetocrystalline
anisotropy. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy reveals similarities
with electronic structure of UH3, which is also ferromagnet
with higher T
C = 165 K.
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