Manipulating carriers' spin polarization in the Heusler alloy Mn2CoAl

作者：Zhou, Jian; Sa, Baisheng; Sun, Zhimei^*; Si, Chen; Ahuja, Rajeev

来源：RSC Advances, 2015, 5(90): 73814-73819.

DOI：10.1039/c5ra13673c

• SINGLE-ELECTRON SPIN
• FUTURE
• PHASE
• SPINTRONICS
• TRANSITION
• SI

We report that complete spin polarization and controllable spin polarization of carriers can be simultaneously realized in the Heusler alloy Mn2CoAl simply by applying external pressures based on first-principles studies. At ambient conditions, Mn2CoAl is a ferromagnetic spin-gapless semiconductor (SGS) with complete spin polarization. Under hydrostatic pressures up to 40 GPa, Mn2CoAl undergoes a series of electronic transitions from SGS with spin-up as a conducting channel to a ferromagnetic semiconductor and then to SGS with spin-down as a conducting channel and finally to a half metal, during which the magnetic moment remains as 2 mB. Such rich electronic transitions are attributed to different responses of the spin-up and spin-down electrons under pressure. This work highlights a desirable way to control the carrier's spin polarization and provides a new insight into the electron behavior in Mn2CoAl related Heusler alloys under pressure.

• 出版日期2015
• 单位北京航空航天大学; 福州大学