Evolution of the electronic structure and physical properties of Fe₂MeAl (Me = Ti, V, Cr) Heusler alloys

Abstract

We present the results of experiments on the optical, electrical and magnetic properties and electronic structure and optical spectrum calculations of the Heusler alloys Fe₂TiAl, Fe₂VAl and Fe₂CrAl. We find that the drastic transformation of the band spectrum, especially near the Fermi level, when replacing the Me element (Me = Ti, V, Cr), is accompanied by a significant change in the electrical and optical properties. The electrical and optical properties of Fe2TiAl are typical for metals. The abnormal behavior of the electrical resistivity and the optical properties in the infrared range for Fe₂VAl and Fe₂CrAl are determined by electronic states at the Fermi level. Both the optical spectroscopic measurements and the theoretical calculations demonstrate the presence of low-energy gaps in the band spectrum of the Heusler alloys. In addition, we demonstrate that the formation of Fe clusters may be responsible for the large enhancement of the total magnetic moment in Fe₂CrAl.