The concentration effects on structural and magnetic properties of Fe₂V_1-xMn_xGe Heusler alloys

This study presents the concentration-dependent structural, morphological, and magnetic properties of Fe₂V_1-xMn_xGe Heusler alloys (x = 0.0, 0.25, and 0.50) have not been studied previously in the literature, and are investigated by using X-ray Diffractometer, Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM), and Physical Properties Measurement System (PPMS). We observed from the X-ray diffraction measurements that (except x = 0) Fe₂V_1-xMn_xGe samples have had L2₁-type crystal structure, matching well with the literature. In all SEM images, some holes and crack-type formations are observed. Increasing Mn content in Fe₂V_1-xMn_xGe Heusler alloys can effectively inhibit grain boundary migration. Except for Fe₂VGe, the other alloys in the series are investigated to be soft ferromagnets at 5 K with saturation magnetic moment. The (M-H) graphs especially for Fe₂V_0.75Mn_0.25Ge and Fe₂V_0.5Mn_0.5Ge measured at 5 K reveal almost no coercive fields and easy magnetization. Namely, the system easily saturates without needing any high fields. The obtained results show that these new samples may be suitable candidates for technological applications.