Semiconductor-Like Behavior of Electric Transport in Fe–V–Al-Based Metallic Alloys and Their Uncommon Magnetic Properties

Abstract

A brief survey of experimental and theoretical works on the study of electronic transport and magnetic properties of iron–vanadium–aluminum alloys of composition close to Fe2VAl is presented. These alloys consist of “good” metals, but manifest uncommon “semiconductor-like” kinetic and thermal properties in the region of low temperatures, and an anomalous behavior of magnetic characteristics at higher temperatures. These anomalies are explained by the existence of a narrow pseudo-gap in the density of electronic states at the Fermi level EF and also by a strong effect of the processes of scattering of charge carriers by local magnetic moments.