Mn substitution in the topological metal Zr₂Te₂P

Results are reported for Mn intercalated Zr₂Te₂P, where x-ray diffraction , energy dispersive spectroscopy, and transmission electron microscopy measurements reveal that the van der Waals bonded Te-Te layers are partially filled by Zr and Mn ions. This leads to the chemical formulas Zr_0.07Zr₂Te₂P and Mn_0.06Zr_0.03Zr₂Te₂P for the parent and substituted compounds, respectively. The impact of the Mn ions is seen in the anisotropic magnetic susceptibility, where Curie-Weiss fits to the data indicate that the Mn ions are in the divalent state. Heat capacity and electrical transport measurements reveal metallic behavior, but the electronic coefficient of the heat capacity (γ_Mn≈ 36.6 mJ (mol·K²)^-1) is enhanced by comparison to that of the parent compound. Magnetic ordering is seen atTM≈4 K, where heat capacity measurements additionally show that the phase transition is broad, likely due to the disordered Mn distribution. This transition also strongly reduces the electronic scattering seen in the normalized electrical resistance. These results show that Mn substitution simultaneously introduces magnetic interactions and tunes the electronic state, which improves prospects for inducing novel behavior in Zr₂Te₂P and the broader family of ternary tetradymites.