We report detailed investigations of the structure, magnetic properties, electronic transport, and specific heat in Mn-based antiperovskite compounds Mn3Cu0.5Zn0.5N. Most strikingly, there are several fascinating features: (i) The magnetoresistance at 30 kOe (40 kOe) exceeds ∼1% (∼2%) over a temperature span of ∼70 K (∼25 K) from 5 to 140 K; (ii) magnetoresistance fluctuates at temperatures of 100–200 K, including an obvious sign reversal from negative to positive at ∼140 K. Analysis of the specific heat reveals that the magnetoresistance reversal may originate from the reconstruction of the Fermi surface accompanying an antiferromagnetic-ferromagnetic transition.

No abstract