Magnetically driven negative thermal expansion in antiperovskite Ga1-xMnxN0.8Mn3 (0.1 ≤ x ≤ 0.3)

• DOI: 10.1063/1.4936239
• Publication Date: 2015-11-19T18:02:24Z
• Authors: X. G. Guo; J. C. Lin; P. Tong; M. Wang; Y. Wu; C. Yang; B. Song; S. Lin; W. H. Song; Y. P. Sun
• Keywords: Antiperovskite; Negative Thermal Expansion; Atmospheric temperature range; Lattice (music)

Negative thermal expansion (NTE) was investigated for Ga1−xMnxN0.8Mn3 (0.1 ≤ x 0.3). As increases, the temperature range where lattice contracts upon heating becomes broad and shifts to lower temperatures. The coefficient of linear beyond −40 ppm/K with a interval ∼50 K obtained around room in = 0.2 0.25. Local distortion which thought be intimately related NTE is invisible X-ray pair distribution function 0.3. Furthermore, zero-field-cooling exchange bias observed as result competing ferromagnetic (FM) antiferromagnetic (AFM) orders. concomitant FM order serves an impediment growth AFM order, thus broadens NTE. Our suggests that can achieved antiperovskite manganese nitrides by manipulating magnetic orders without distorting local structure.