High-pressure investigations on the semi-Heusler compound CuMnSb

Abstract

The antiferromagnetic semi-Heusler compound CuMnSb has been investigated under high pressure by electrical resistivity and angle dispersive synchrotron x-ray diffraction measurements to 53 and 36 GPa, respectively. The Néel temperature at ∼50 K is found to initially increase rapidly with pressure, reaching 83 K at 7 GPa. However, near 8 GPa at ambient temperature a sluggish first-order structural transition begins from a semi-metallic cubic phase to a likely semi-metallic tetragonal phase; thermal cycling to 355 o C at 9.6 GPa serves to complete the transition. In the tetragonal phase no sign of magnetic ordering is visible in the resistivity R(T) over the measured temperature range 4 K-295 K. This suggests that magnetic ordering may have shifted to temperatures well above ambient. Indeed, density functional calculations find the magnetic ground state in the tetragonal phase to be antiferromagnetic. Following decompression to 1 bar at ambient temperature, the high-pressure tetragonal phase is retained.

First principle based investigation of topological insulating phase in half-Heusler family NaYO (Y = Ag, Au, and Cu)

“…The experimental confirmation of topological nature of materials studied can be done through several experiments like angle resolved photo-emission spectroscopy measurements [50], magneto-transport [51] and quantum oscillations in resistance of material as a function of magnetic field (the Shubnikov-de Hass effect) and NMR study [52][53][54][55]. Also, there are several experimental reports which are relevant to pressure dependent synthesis of the half-Heusler materials via various techniques like diamond anvil cell [56][57][58]. We expect that the findings reported here will further encourage the quest for topological insulating behaviour in half-Heusler compounds.…”

Half‐metallicity, magnetism, mechanical, thermal, and phonon properties of FeCrTe and FeCrSe half‐Heusler alloys under pressure

“…The electronic properties of NiXSn(X = Zr, Hf) alloys [28] have been investigated using ab initio calculations and conversion from the indirect to direct band gap at 50 GPa and 127 GPa for NiZrSn and NiHfSn alloys, respectively. CuMnSb semi-Heusler alloys [29] were measured under pressure, and it was found that the Neel temperature of CuMnSb increased with pressure. The semimetallic cubic phase becomes the semimetallic tetragonal phase at about 8 GPa.…”