Investigation of spin-gapless semiconductivity and half-metallicity in Ti2MnAl-based compounds

• DOI: 10.1063/1.4945600
• Publication Date: 2016-04-05T00:30:21Z
• Authors: P. Lukashev; P. Kharel; S. Gilbert; B. Staten; N. Hurley; R. Fuglsby; Y. Huh; S. Valloppilly; W. Zhang; K. Yang; R. Skomski; D. J. Sellmyer
• Keywords: Gapless playback; Heusler compound; Half-metal

The increasing interest in spin-based electronics has led to a vigorous search for new materials that can provide high degree of spin polarization electron transport. An ideal candidate would act as an insulator one channel and conductor or semiconductor the opposite channel, corresponding respective cases half-metallicity spin-gapless semiconductivity. Our first-principle electronic-structure calculations indicate metallic Heusler compound Ti2MnAl becomes half-metallic semiconducting if half Al atoms are replaced by Sn In, respectively. These electronic structures associated with structural transitions from regular cubic structure inverted structure.