Microstructure, magnetic and transport properties of a Mn2CoAl Heusler compound

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Abstract We report a detailed analysis of microstructure, magnetic and transport properties of a stoichiometric Mn 2 CoAl Heusler alloy, which has been predicted to be a spin-gapless semiconductor (SGS). Microstructure analysis revealed that the main phase was Mn 1.8 Co 1.4 Al 0.8 rather than Mn 2 CoAl; this stable compound remained even for a Co-rich composition. Along with the Mn 1.8 Co 1.4 Al 0.8 phase, a disk-shaped Mn-rich precipitate phase was observed in both annealed stoichiometric and Co-rich Mn 2 CoAl alloys. Atomically resolved energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy mappings revealed that the Mn 1.8 Co 1.4 Al 0.8 phase has a disordered inverse XA Heusler structure with Mn (A) and Al (C) sites partially substituted by Co and Mn, respectively. First-principles calculations based on the observed disordered structure suggest that the Heusler phase is not SGS but half-metallic. However, both annealed stoichiometric and Co-rich Mn 2 CoAl exhibit semiconducting-like resistivity and low anomalous Hall conductivity. These transport properties were regarded as the signatures of SGS in the previous studies; however, it could be due to localization of charged carriers due to the intersection of the Fermi level with Mn 3 d and Co 3 d states in Mn 1.8 Co 1.4 Al 0.8 . This study demonstrates that not only measurements of transport properties but also careful microstructure inspections are essential to validate SGS properties in the theoretically predicted SGS candidates among Heusler compounds.

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