Preface

Rare-earth hexaborides have attracted continuous attention for more than half a century, both from the point of view of fundamental material sciences and for practical applications in various fields of engineering. These materials indicate a wealth of unusual electronic, mechanical, optical, and magnetic properties that have been closely investigated in recent decades using advanced spectroscopies and state-of-the-art physical characterization methods.

This book consists of a comprehensive collection of reviews offering a cutting-edge summary of the investigations based on rare-earth hexaborides from various viewpoints. The book includes chapters on the growth and characterization of different structure types of rare-earth hexaborides, and their theoretical and experimental descriptions, production methods, unusual properties, and improvements by alloying and compositing.

The book will appeal to anyone interested in material science, physics, and chemistry, especially researchers and postgraduate students who focus on production methods, structure types, and applications of rare-earth hexaboride compounds.