Structural and Magnetic Properties of Inverse-Heusler Mn₂FeSi Alloy Powder Prepared by Ball Milling

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Solid State Physics
• Magnetism

Background:

• Ternary alloys are crucial for developing advanced magnetic materials.
• Heusler alloys and their inverse variants offer unique magnetic and electronic properties.
• Understanding phase formation and magnetic behavior is key for material applications.

Purpose of the Study:

• To synthesize a ternary Mn2FeSi alloy.
• To characterize its structural and phase formation.
• To investigate its magnetic properties at room temperature and low temperatures.

Main Methods:

• Mechanical alloying of elemental powders.
• High-energy planetary ball milling.
• X-ray diffraction for phase analysis.
• Mössbauer spectrometry and magnetization curves for magnetic characterization.

Main Results:

• Formation of an inverse-Heusler phase (XA structure) after 168h milling and annealing.
• Lattice parameter determined as 0.5677 nm.
• Heterogeneous magnetic structure with dominant paramagnetic phase and weak ferro-/ferrimagnetic contribution.
• Néel temperature determined as 67 K.

Conclusions:

• Successful synthesis of Mn2FeSi alloy with inverse-Heusler structure.
• The alloy exhibits complex magnetic behavior, predominantly paramagnetic at room temperature.
• The determined Néel temperature provides insight into its magnetic transitions.