Magnetism and magnetocaloric properties of Mn0.95Cr0.05As

In this study the magnetic properties of Mn_0.95Cr_0.05As, prepared by mechanical milling, have been investigated. The results suggest that the presence of strains is very important for the magnetic state of the compound. In the presently studied compound, a combined magnetic and structural transition occurs from paramagnetic MnP phase to ferromagnetic NiAs phase at about 234 K. With further decreasing temperature, at 159 K, a transition from ferromagnetic NiAs phase to helimagnetic (H_a-type) MnP phase is observed, which is accompanied by an inverse magnetocaloric effect. The ferromagnetic phase is recovered when the temperature is increased. At both first-order transitions, at 159 and 234 K, large magnetic-entropy changes are observed.     

非晶态Fe13Ni67.2P4.5B15.3合金的临界现象

本文报道非晶态Fe₁₃Ni_67.2P_4.5B_15.3合金的磁化强度与温度和磁场关系的测量结果。在居里温度附近样品的磁特性符合二级相变规律,得到临界指数β=0.39±0.02,γ=1.56±0.06,δ=5.20±0.1,样品的居里温度T_c=(180.4±0.2)K。在实验误差范围内,临界指数β,γ,δ满足γ=β(δ-1)关系,在168—192K温度范围,实验数据满足二级相变的磁状态方程。当T>270K时,样品顺磁磁化率服从居里-外斯定律,由居里-外斯常数c计算出有效顺磁磁矩P_eff=3.19 μ_B。 关键词：     

Magnetic field and temperature-induced first-order transition in Gd5(Si1.5Ge2.5): a study of the electrical resistance behavior

Magnetic field (0–4 T) and temperature dependencies (4.2–320 K) of the electrical resistance of Gd₅(Si_1.5Ge_2.5), which undergoes a reversible first-order ferromagnetic↔paramagnetic phase transition, have been measured. The electrical resistance of Gd₅(Si_1.5Ge_2.5) indicates that the magnetic phase transition can be induced by both temperature and magnetic field. The temperature dependence of the electrical resistance, R(T), for heating at low temperatures in the zero magnetic field has the usual metallic character, but at a critical temperature of T_cr=216 K the resistance shows a 20% negative discontinuity due to the transition from the low-temperature high-resistance state to the high-temperature low-resistance state. The R(T) dependence for cooling shows a similar but positive 25% discontinuity at 198 K. The isothermal magnetic field dependence of the electrical resistance from 212T224 K indicates the presence of temperature-dependent critical magnetic fields which can reversibly transform the paramagnetic phase into the ferromagnetic phase and vice versa. The critical magnetic fields diagram determined from the isothermal magnetic field dependencies of the electrical resistance of Gd₅(Si_1.5Ge_2.5) shows that the FM↔PM transition in zero magnetic field on cooling and heating occurs at 206 and 213 K, respectively. The full isothermal magnetic filed hysteresis for the FM↔PM transition is 2 T, and the isofield temperature gap between critical magnetic fields is 7 K.     

The effect of different temperature annealing on phase relation of LaFe11.5Si1.5 and the magnetocaloric effects of La0.8Ce0.2Fe11.5−xCoxSi1.5 alloys

The phase relation of LaFe_11.5Si_1.5 alloys annealed at different high-temperature from 1223 K (5 h) to 1673 K (0.5 h) has been studied. The powder X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns show that large amount of 1:13 phase begins to form in the matrix alloy consisting of α-Fe and LaFeSi phases when the annealing temperature is 1423 K. In the temperature range from 1423  to 1523 K, α-Fe and LaFeSi phases rapidly decrease to form 1:13 phase, and LaFeSi phase is rarely observed in the XRD pattern of LaFe_11.5Si_1.5 alloy annealed at 1523 K. With annealing temperature increasing from 1573  to 1673 K, the LaFeSi phase is detected again in the LaFe_11.5Si_1.5 alloy, and there is La₅Si₃ phase when the annealing temperature reaches 1673 K. There almost is no change in the XRD patterns of LaFe_11.5Si_1.5 alloys annealed at 1523 K for 3-5 h. According to this result, the La_0.8Ce_0.2Fe_11.5−xCo_xSi_1.5 (0≤×≤0.7) alloys are annealed at 1523 K (3 h). The analysis of XRD patterns shows that La_0.8Ce_0.2Fe_11.5xCo_xSi_1.5 alloys consist of the NaZn₁₃-type main phase and α-Fe impurity phase. With the increase of Co content from x=0 to 0.7, the Curie temperature T_C increases from 180 to 266 K. Because the increase of Co content can weaken the itinerant electron metamagnetic transition, the order of the magnetic transition at T_C changes from first to second-order between x=0.3 and 0.5. Although the magnetic entropy change decreases from 34.9 to 6.8 J/kg K with increasing Co concentration at a low magnetic field of 0-2 T, the thermal and magnetic hysteresis loss reduces remarkably, which is very important for the magnetic refrigerant near room temperature.     

Magnetocaloric effect in Gd6Co1.67Si3 compound with a second-order phase transition

The magnetic properties and the magnetic entropy change AS have been investigated for Gd6Co1.67Si3 compounds with a second-order phase transition. The saturation moment at 5 K and the Curie temperature TC are 38.1μB and 298 K, respectively. The AS originates from a reversible second-order magnetic transition around TC and its value reaches 5.2 J/kg.K for a magnetic field change from 0 to 5T. The refrigerant capacity （RC） of Gd6Co1.67Si3 are calculated by using the methods given in Refs.[12] and [21], respectively, for a field change of 0 5T and its values are 310 and 440 J/kg, which is larger than those of some magnetocaloric materials with a first-order phase transition.     

Metastable states in phase separated electron doped Sm0.15Ca0.85MnO3

In order to study the mechanism behind the phase separation scenario in the Sm_0.15Ca_0.85MnO₃ compound, magnetization and resistivity measurements have been carried out in pulsed magnetic fields up to 50 T at temperatures 4.2 K<T<200 K. It is found that external magnetic field causes a collapse of a C-type AFM (P2₁/m) phase resulting in field-induced insulator-metal transition, which is irreversible below T₁=75 K. In zero field the content of a G-type phase in the mixed C-G state can vary from 10 to 17% at T=10 K. A set of metastable states with different volume ratios of G-type to C-type phases is observed below T₁ depending on the history of the sample. The obtained results indicate that the phase separation plays a dominant role for the electric and the magnetic properties of this material.     

Exchange bias effect in multiferroic Eu0.75Y0.25MnO3

The exchange bias phenomenon has been investigated in multiferroic Eu_0.75Y_0.25MnO₃. The material shows a weak ferromagnetism with cone spin configuration induced by external magnetic field below 30 K. Consequently, the electric polarization coming from the cycloid spin order below 30 K can be suppressed by external magnetic fields. The magnetic hysteresis loops after cooling in a magnetic field exhibit characteristics of exchange bias below the spin glassy freezing temperature (T_g)∼16 K. The exchange bias field, coercivity field, and remanent magnetization increase with increasing cooling magnetic field. The exchange bias effect is ascribed to the frozen uncompensated spins at the antiferromagnetism/weak ferromagnetism interfaces in the spin-glass like phase.     

Evidence of glassy ferromagnetic phase and kinetic arrest of electronic phase in Sm0.35Pr0.15Sr0.5MnO3 manganites

The effect of doping of rare earth Pr³⁺ ion as a replacement of Sm³⁺ in Sm_0.5Sr_0.5MnO₃ is investigated. Temperature dependent dc and ac magnetic susceptibility, resistivity, magnetoresistance measurements on chemically synthesized (Sm_0.5−xPr_x)Sr_0.5MnO₃ show various unusual features with doping level x=0.15. The frequency independent ferromagnetic to paramagnetic transition at higher temperature (∼191 K) followed by a frequency dependent reentrant magnetic transition at lower temperature (∼31 K) has been observed. The nature of this frequency dependent reentrant magnetic transition is described by a critical slowing down model of spin glasses. From non-linear ac susceptibility measurements it has been confirmed that the finite size ferromagnetic clusters are formed as a consequence of intrinsic phase separation, and undergo spin glass-like freezing below a certain temperature. There is an unusual observation of a 2nd harmonic peak in the non-linear ac susceptibility around this reentrant magnetic transition at low temperature (∼31 K). Arrott plots at 10 and 30 K confirm the existence of glassy ferromagnetism below this low temperature reentrant transition. Electronic- and magneto-transport measurements show a strong magnetic field—temperature history dependence and strong irreversibility with respect to the sweeping of magnetic field. These results are attributed to the effect of phase separation and kinetic arrest of the electronic phase in this phase separated manganite at low temperatures.     

Structural first-order transformation in La2/3Ba1/3MnO3: ESR study

We have studied by the electron-spin resonance (ESR) and static magnetic field techniques, the La_2/3Ba_1/3MnO₃ perovskite, which was previously shown to exhibit a martensitic phase transformation in the vicinity of T_s∼200 K [Physical Review B 68, 054109 (2003)], leading to its structural phase-segregated state. Resonant absorptions reveal that in the temperature interval from 100 K to 340 K the compound represents a mixture of two ferromagnetic phases possessing different magnetizations, in varying proportions depending on the temperature, and a small amount of a paramagnetic phase. The results agree well with the previous neutron diffraction study. Applied in the ESR experiments, magnetic fields (2–6 kOe) strongly affect the magnetization curves: even magnetic field as high as 700 Oe modifies the anomaly in the phase transformation region and removes the difference between the zero-field cooled and field-cooled magnetization curves, which implies that the difference in the magnetic susceptibility of the coexisting phases is small and the magnetic domain configuration can be easily changed.     

Magnetic phase transitions in Nd7Rh3 single crystal

Magnetic phase transitions in rare earth intermetallic compound Nd₇Rh₃ have been investigated using a single crystal. Measurement results of magnetization, magnetic susceptibility, specific heat, and electrical resistivity reveal that Nd₇Rh₃ has two magnetic phase transitions at T_N=34 K, T_t2=9.1 K and a change of the magnetic feature at T_t1=6.8 K in the absence of an external magnetic field. Antiferromagnetic orderings exist in all the three magnetic states; a large magnetic anisotropy between the c-axis and the c-plane is observed. In the magnetic phase below T_t2, an irreversible field-induced magnetic phase transition takes place in the c-plane; after removing external magnetic field, a coexistence state of ferro- and antiferromagnetic ordering or a ferrimagnetic state having a remanent magnetization M_R is stabilized. The M_R decays to a certain value for several hours after the first process; a magnetic field cooling effect was also observed in the c-plane below T_t2. In the antiferromagentic state above T_t2, the irreversibility disappears and an ordinary antiferromagnetic state takes place. As the origin of this phenomenon, a kind of martensitic structural transition that is observed in Gd₅Ge₄ can be considered.     

Magnetic phase transitions and structures of Co3V 2O8

Co₃V ₂O₈ is a spin- 3/2 system on a Kagomé staircase and is known to undergo two magnetic phase transitions between 6 and 11 K. The H-T phase diagram of Co₃V ₂O₈ derived by magnetization measurements on a single crystal is presented. Additionally both ordered magnetic structures were investigated by neutron powder diffraction experiments and solved using Bertaut’s macroscopic theory. For the ferromagnetic phase the magnetic moments of the Co²⁺ ions were found to be 1.5(3)μ_B and 2.7(1)μ_B at 3.5 K along the crystallographic a axis for the (4a) and (8e) sites, respectively. The antiferromagnetic phase exhibits a magnetic cell with a doubled b axis with respect to the nuclear one. The magnetic moments point along the a axis being 1.8(2)μ_B (4a) and 1.8(1)μ_B (8e) at 8 K.     

金属间化合物DyMn2Ge2的自发磁相变和场诱导的磁相变

在10—800K的温度范围内用X射线衍射方法测量了DyMn₂Ge₂化合物的晶格常数与温度的变化关系,观察到高温时DyMn₂Ge₂由顺磁状态到反铁磁状态的自发磁相变伴随着晶格常数a的负的磁弹性异常现象.在4.2K—200K的温度范围内测量了DyMn₂Ge₂的交流磁化率.在交换相互作用的分子场模型近似下,从理论上分析讨论了DyMn₂Ge₂的低温自发磁相变和场诱导的磁相变.计算了DyMn₂Ge₂单晶的磁化强度与温度的变化关系以及不同温度下外磁场沿晶轴c方向时的磁化曲线.理论分析和计算结果表明,温度低于33K时在DyMn₂Ge₂中观察到的场诱导的一级磁相变为由亚铁磁状态(Fi)到中间态(IS)相变. 关键词： 稀土-过渡族金属间化合物 磁结构 磁相变     

Field-induced structural transition and the related magnetic entropy change in Ni43Mn43Co3Sn11 alloy

Magnetic properties and magnetic entropy change ΔS were investigated in Heusler alloy Ni₄₃Mn₄₃Co₃Sn₁₁. With decreasing temperature this alloy undergoes a martensitic structural transition at T_M=188 K. The incorporation of Co atoms enhances ferromagnetic exchange for parent phases. Austenitic phase with cubic structure shows strong ferromagnetic behaviors with Curie temperature T_C^A at 346 K, while martensitic phase shows weak ferromagnetic properties. An external magnetic field can shift T_M to a lower temperature at a rate of 4.4 K/T, and a field-induced structural transition from martensitic to austenitic state takes place at temperatures near but below T_M. As a result, a great magnetic entropy change with positive sign appears. The size of ΔS reaches 33 J/kg K under 5 T magnetic field. More important is that the ΔS displays a table-like peak under 5 T, which is favorable for Ericsson-type refrigerators.     

Neutron diffraction studies of Tb2Rh3Si5 compound

In this work neutron diffraction studies of Tb₂Rh₃Si₅ compound are reported. The compound crystallizes in the monoclinic crystal structure of Lu₂Co₃Si₅-type. At 1.5 K an antiferromagnetic ordering with a propagation vector k=(1/2;1/2;1/2) was observed. The Tb magnetic moments of 9.8(2) μ_B form a non-collinear magnetic structure. In the vicinity of Néel temperature of 8 K a change of the magnetic ordering is evidenced. The change seems to be connected with phase transition from commensurate to incommensurate sine-wave modulation of the Tb magnetic moments.     

Magnetization behavior and magnetocaloric effect in bulk amorphous Fe60Co5Zr8Mo5W2B20 alloy

Microstructure by X-ray diffraction and Mössbauer spectroscopy, and isothermal magnetic entropy changes in the bulk amorphous Fe₆₀Co₅Zr₈Mo₅W₂B₂₀ alloy in the as-quenched state and after annealing at 720 K for 15 min are studied. The as-cast and heat treated alloy is paramagnetic at room temperature. The quadrupole splitting distribution is unimodal after annealing indicating the more homogenous structure in comparison with that for the as-cast alloy. Curie temperature slightly increases after annealing from 265±2 K in the as-quenched state to 272±2 K and the alloy exhibits the second order magnetic phase transition. The maximum of isothermal magnetic entropy changes appears at the Curie points and is equal to 0.30 and 0.42 J/(kg·K) for the alloy in the as-quenched state and after annealing, respectively. In the paramagnetic region the material behaves as a Curie-Weiss paramagnet.     

Ni47Mn32Ga21多晶合金的磁熵变和磁感生应变

对定向凝固方法制备的Ni₄₇Mn₃₂Ga₂₁多晶合金,通过扫描电镜、金相、电子能谱等手段研究其组份和组织形貌,通过对合金磁化强度与温度关系、等温磁化曲线及磁感生应变曲线等的测量分析,研究了合金结构相变和磁相变过程中的磁熵变及不同压力下的磁感生应变. 研究结果表明:合金组份与设计组份基本一致,室温下合金大部分为马氏体相. 升温过程中合金的磁熵变在居里温度(365 K)附近有最大值,并有较大的磁熵变峰值半高宽,747 kA/m的磁场下该磁熵变最大值为-1.45 J/kg ·K,磁熵变峰值的半高宽为21 K. 合金在室温(298 K)下有较好的双向可恢复磁感生应变,480 kA/m磁场下,无压力时合金的磁感生应变值达到-670×10^-6,并趋饱和;而在与磁场方向平行的27.3 MPa外压力作用下合金的磁感生应变值增大到-1300×10^-6,且未饱和. 关键词： Ni-Mn-Ga 铁磁形状记忆合金 磁熵变 磁感生应变     

Growth of single-phase c-axis aligned La1.2Ca1.8Mn2O7 films on SrTiO3 (001)

We report the growth of single phase, c-axis aligned thin films of La_1.2Ca_1.8Mn₂O₇ on SrTiO₃ (001) substrates using a controlled pulsed laser deposition method. In this method, constraint of epitaxy is utilized to stabilize the Ruddlesdon-Popper (RP) phase of La_1.2Ca_1.8Mn₂O₇. Oxygen ambient pressure and the rate of deposition play a very important role in influencing the epitaxial growth as well as maintaining phase purity of the material. The oxygen pressure inside the deposition chamber was very precisely controlled and varied during the layer-by-layer growth of the film. Films, prepared by our method, show excellent electrical and magnetic characteristics with a sharp metal-insulator transition at T_M-I=90 K, closely followed by a magnetic transition at T_C=91 K.     

Magnetic and transport properties of Pr2Pd3Si5

We have investigated the magnetic and transport properties of a new ternary intermetallic compound Pr₂Pd₃Si₅ which forms in U₂Co₃Si₅-type orthorhombic structure (space group Ibam). At low field (0.01 T) magnetic susceptibility exhibits an abrupt increase below 7 K and peaks at 5 K, revealing a magnetic phase transition. The onset of magnetic order is also confirmed by well defined anomalies in the specific heat and electrical resistivity data. Apart from the sharp λ-type anomaly, magnetic part of specific heat also shows a broad Schottky-type hump due to crystal field effect. Magnetoresistance data as a function of temperature exhibits a pronounced peak in paramagnetic state which could be interpreted in terms of crystal field effect and short-range ferromagnetic correlations.     

Magnetic phase diagrams of Mn(Nb0.5Ta0.5)2O6

The magnetic phase diagrams of Mn(Nb_0.5Ta_0.5)₂O₆ have been determined by means of neutron diffraction. Two spin-flop-transitions G_xA_z → A_xG_z → G_y have been detected in a magnetic field parallel to the x-direction. The first phase boundary increases as the temperature rises up to a triple point at 4.74 K and 20.5 kOe, whereas the second phase boundary decreases until another triple point at 4.55 K and 35.5 kOe is reached. In fields parallel to the z-direction a transition G_xA_z → G_xG_z has been revealed, the phase boundary meets the paramagnetic one in a triple point at 4.65 K and 55 kOe.     

Magnetic characterization of Mn5SiB2 and Mn5Si3 phases

In this work the Mn₅Si₃ and Mn₅SiB₂ phases were produced via arc melting and heat treatment at 1000 °C for 50 h under argon. A detailed microstructure characterization indicated the formation of single-phase Mn₅Si₃ and near single-phase Mn₅SiB₂ microstructures. The magnetic behavior of the Mn₅Si₃ phase was investigated and the results are in agreement with previous data from the literature, which indicates the existence of two anti-ferromagnetic structures for temperatures below 98 K. The Mn₅SiB₂ phase shows a ferromagnetic behavior presenting a saturation magnetization M_s of about 5.35×10⁵ A/m (0.67 T) at room temperature and an estimated Curie temperature between 470 and 490 K. In addition, AC susceptibility data indicates no evidence of any other magnetic ordering in 4-300 K temperature range. The magnetization values are smaller than that calculated using the magnetic moment from previous literature NMR results. This result suggests a probable ferrimagnetic arrangement of the Mn moments.