Search for fully compensated ferrimagnet in Co substituted Mn2VGa alloy

Abstract

Crystallographic and magnetic properties of bulk (Mn1−xCox)2VGa alloys with 0≤x≤0.50 are reported in this work. All the alloys exhibit stable L21 structure. Unit cell volume of this series of alloys decreased from 207.5Å3 to 195.1Å3 as x was increased from 0 to 0.50. All the alloys shows ferrimagnetic behavior with Curie temperature decreasing from 763K to 367K with increase in x. Saturation magnetization (Ms) measured for the alloys with x=0, 0.25 and 0.50 are 1.84μB/f.u., 0.85μB/f.u. and 0.30μB/f.u., respectively, as compared to the values of 2.00μB/f.u., 1.00μB/f.u. and 0μB/f.u., predicted by the Slater–Pauling (S–P) rule. While explaining the deviations in the Ms from the values predicted by the S–P rule, a fully compensated ferrimagnet is expected in an alloy with total number of valance electrons of 24.1.