Search arXivSearch

arXiv · 2104.13724

Structural transformation and magnetic properties of (Fe$_{0.7}$Co$_{0.3}$)$_2$B alloys doped with 5$d$ elements: A combined first-principles and experimental study

Abstract

(Fe,Co)$_2$B-based compounds with specified 5$d$ substitutions are considered as promising materials for permanent magnets without rare-earth elements. We conducted a combined first-principles and experimental study focused on (Fe$_{0.7}$Co$_{0.3}$)$_2$B alloys doped with W and Re. First, we used full-potential local-orbital scheme to systematically investigate (Fe,Co)$_2$B alloys with 3$d$, 4$d$, and 5$d$ substitutions. Computational analyses showed a significant increase in magnetocrystalline anisotropy only for the Re doped sample. Simultaneously, the structural and magnetic properties of the (Fe$_{0.7-x}$Co$_{0.3-x}$M$_{2x}$)$_2$B ($M$ = W, Re; $x$ = 0, 0.025) alloys were investigated experimentally. The desired (Fe,Co)$_2$B tetragonal phase was synthesized by heat treatment of amorphous precursors. We observed that isothermal annealing increases the coercive field of all samples. However, the obtained values, without further optimization, are well below the threshold for permanent magnet applications. Nevertheless, annealing of substituted samples at 750$^o$C significantly improves saturation magnetization values. Furthermore, Mössbauer spectroscopy revealed a reduction of the hyperfine field due to the presence of Co atoms in the (Fe,Co)$_2$B phase, where additional defect positions are formed by Re and W. Radio-frequency Mössbauer studies showed that (Fe$_{0.7}$Co$_{0.3}$)$_2$B and the W-substituted sample began to crystallize when exposed to an radio frequency field of 12 Oe, indicating that the amorphous phase is stabilized by Re substitution. Improvement of thermal stability of (Fe$_{0.675}$Co$_{0.275}$Re$_{0.05}$)$_2$B alloy is consistent with the results of differential scanning calorimetry and thermomagnetic measurements.

Explore related subjects

Keep this discovery

Explore connections, maps & timelines

BibTeXRIS

A. Musiał, W. Marciniak, Z. Śniadecki, M. Werwiński, P. Kuświk, B. Idzikowski, M. Kołodziej, A. Grabias, M. Kopcewicz, J. Marcin, J. Kováč. 2022-06-27. Structural transformation and magnetic properties of (Fe$_{0.7}$Co$_{0.3}$)$_2$B alloys doped with 5$d$ elements: A combined first-principles and experimental study. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jallcom.2022.166047

Cite the original work for its findings. Save a collection to share your selection of sources.

KEEP EXPLORING

Related papers

Incommensurate structural and magnetic modulations in potassium-rich cryptomelane, K$_x$Mn$_8$O$_{16}$ ($x\approx1.45$)

Cryptomelane is a hollandite-like material consisting of K$^+$ cations in an $α$-MnO$_2$ tunnel-like crystallographic motif. Cryptomelane with stoichiometry K$_x$Mn$_8$O$_{16}$ ($x\approx1.45$) has been synthesized and its magnetic properties investigated using variable-temperature magnetic susceptibility, heat capacity, and neutron powder diffraction. Three distinct transitions at $T_1=184$\,K, $T_2=54.5$\,K, and $T_3=24$\,K are observed. At $T_1$ there is a subtle tetragonal$\rightarrow$monoclinic transition associated with emergence of a set of non-magnetic superstructure peaks indexable to a $\vec{k}_\mathrm{struc}\approx0.74\vec{c^*}$ incommensurate modulation parallel to the $α$-MnO$_2$ tunnels. Our findings are consistent with a relation previously reported in titanate hollandites, that $x\approx2|\vec{k}_\mathrm{struc}|$. Magnetic Bragg peaks emerge below $T_2=54.5$\,K, and their positions indicate an incommensurate modulated magnetic structure. The model consistent with the data is a dual-$\vec{k}_\mathrm{mag}$ structure with a ferromagnetic $|\vec{k}_\mathrm{mag}|=0$ component and an incommensurate $\vec{k}_\mathrm{mag}\approx0.37\vec{c^*}$, with the latter most likely to be helical. The period of oscillation of the incommensurate magnetic component is in line with predictions based on a Heisenberg spin Hamiltonian [Mandal \textit{et al}. Phys. Rev. B 90, 104420 (2014)]. Below $T_3=24$\,K, there is a magnetic transition, which gives rise to a different set of magnetic Bragg peaks indicative of a highly complex magnetic structure.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci

An anisotropic functional for two-dimensional material systems

Density function theory is the workhorse of modern electronic structure theory. However, its accuracy in practical calculations is limited by the choice of the exchange-correlation potential. In this respect, two-dimensional materials pose a special challenge, as all these materials and their heterostructures have a crucial similarity. The underlying atomic structures are strongly spatially inhomogeneous, implying that current exchange-correlation functionals, that in almost all cases are isotropic, are ill-prepared for an accurate description. We present an anisotropic screened-exchange potential, that remedies this problem and reproduces the band-gap of 2D materials as well as the piecewise linearity of the total energy with fractional occupation number.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci

Thermally-driven reorientation of the Néel vector in altermagnetic MnTe

Altermagnets are novel magnetic systems that possess a spin-polarized electronic band structure without a net magnetic moment, making them promising for device applications. Hexagonal MnTe, a prototypical altermagnet, arguably exhibits the most properties consistent with theoretical predictions, including an anomalous Hall effect despite a vanishing net magnetization, and altermagnetinduced electronic band splitting. However, fundamental questions remain, including why some effects only appear significantly below the magnetic ordering temperature. Here, we resolve this discrepancy by revealing a reorientation of the Néel vector in single-crystalline MnTe. The Néel vector points 30° from the a-axis at low $T$, before aligning directly with the a-axis around $T\simeq 260$ K. We attribute this to single-ion anisotropy, which depends on temperature-dependent lattice parameters. We obtained these results using muon-spin spectroscopy, magnetization measurements, and X-ray diffraction; we show that the findings are consistent with neutron diffraction. Manipulating this effect, for example through strain, could unlock sensitive electronic detection schemes for external stimuli, paving the way for functional altermagnetic devices.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci