Effect of Fe substitution on the structural, magnetic and electron-transport properties of half-metallic Co2TiSi

The structural, magnetic and electron-transport properties of Co2Ti1-xFexSi (x = 0, 0.25, 0.5) ribbons prepared by arc-melting and melt-spinning were investi- gated. The rapidly quenched Co2Ti0.5Fe0.5Si crystallized in the cubic L21 structure whereas Co2Ti0.75Fe0.25Si and Co2TiFe0Si showed various degrees of B2-type disorder. At room temperature, all the samples are ferromagnetic, and the Curie tem- perature increased from 360 K for Co2TiSi to about 800 K for Co2Ti0.5Fe0.5Si. The measured magnetization also increased due to partial substitution of Fe for Ti atoms. The ribbons are moderately conducting and show positive tempera- ture coefficient of resistivity with the room temperature resistivity being between 360 μΩcm and 440 μΩcm. The experimentally observed structural and magnetic prop- erties are consistent with the results of first-principle calculations. Our calculations also indicate that the Co2Ti1-xFexSi compound remains nearly half-metallic for x ≤ 0.5. The predicted large band gaps and high Curie temperatures much above room temperature make these materials promising for room temperature spintronic and magnetic applications