Heyan Liu

Bio: Heyan Liu is an academic researcher from Hebei University of Technology. The author has contributed to research in topics: Curie temperature & Magnetostriction. The author has an hindex of 17, co-authored 75 publications receiving 1332 citations.

New quarternary half metallic material CoFeMnSi

Abstract: A good field to develop new materials with half metallicity is the quaternary Heusler alloys. The preferred route is to combine the compounds that have been already grown in Heusler structure. As a typical example, the quaternary LiMgPdSb-type CoFeMnSi have been investigated in detail. For the quaternary LiMgPdSb-type compounds, three nonequivalent structures exist. From the calculated density of state (DOS) results, it can be seen that one superstructure shows half metallicity. The second superstructure has a pseudogap at the Fermi level. The third superstructure shows metallic behavior. Based on the analysis of the measured XRD pattern and magnetization curve, we can deduce that the CoFeMnSi compound is crystallized in the structure where half metallicity occurs.

Vacancy-tuned paramagnetic/ferromagnetic martensitic transformation in Mn-poor Mn1-xCoGe alloys

Abstract: It is shown that a temperature window between the Curie temperatures of martensite and austenite phases around the room temperature can be obtained by a vacancy-tuning strategy in Mn-poor Mn1-xCoGe alloys (0≤x≤0.050). Based on this, a martensitic transformation from paramagnetic austenite to ferromagnetic martensite with a large magnetization difference can be realized in this window. This gives rise to a magnetic-field–induced martensitic transformation and a giant magnetocaloric effect in the Mn1−xCoGe system. The decrease of the transformation temperature and of the thermal hysteresis of the transformation, as well as the stable Curie temperatures of martensite and austenite, are discussed on the basis of the Mn-poor Co-vacancy structure and the corresponding valence-electron concentration.

Magnetic properties and martensitic transformation in quaternary Heusler alloy of NiMnFeGa

Abstract: Quaternary Heusler alloy Ni2(Mn,Fe)Ga has been studied systematically for the structure, martensitic transformation, and magnetic properties in two systems of Ni50.5Mn25−xFexGa24.5 and Ni50.4Mn28−xFexGa21.6. Substituting Fe for Mn up to about 70%, the pure L21 phase and the thermoelastic martensitic transformation still can be observed in these quaternary systems. Iron doping dropped the martensitic transformation temperature from 220 to 140 K, increased the Curie temperature from 351 to 429 K, and broadened the thermal hysteresis from about 7 to 18 K. Magnetic analysis revealed that Fe atoms contribute to the net magnetization of the material with a moment lower than that of Mn. The temperature dependence of magnetic-field-induced strains has been improved by this doping method.

Centrosymmetric Li2NaN: a superior topological electronic material with critical-type triply degenerate nodal points

Abstract: It has been, for the first time, reported that centrosymmetric Li2NaN is a realistic triply degenerate nodal point (TDNP) material with three superior characteristics. In the band structure of the centrosymmetric Li2NaN material, there is only a single pair of TDNPs at the Fermi level and not coexisting with other extraneous bands, which indicates that the unique physical properties of the topological semimetal can be clearly detected via experiments and the Li2NaN material is an ideal TDNP semimetal. More importantly, the TDNPs identified in the Li2NaN material show an unusual critical-type band crossing, which is different from previously reported ones. Under lattice strain, we show that the positions of the TDNPs can be tuned, and the TDNPs can even be annihilated. Upon increasing the spin–orbit coupling, the centrosymmetry in the material makes the TDNPs transform into a pair of critical-type Dirac points, which are different from those in noncentrosymmetric systems. So, the centrosymmetric Li2NaN material is considered to be a superior topological semimetal with an ideal band structure, clear topological signs of physical properties, the novel pair of Dirac points and TDNPs.

Ferromagnetic materials

Abstract: In this chapter, we will restrict our attention to the ferrites and a few other closely related materials. The great interest in ferrites stems from their unique combination of a spontaneous magnetization and a high electrical resistivity. The observed magnetization results from the difference in the magnetizations of two non-equivalent sub-lattices of the magnetic ions in the crystal structure. Materials of this type should strictly be designated as “ferrimagnetic” and in some respects are more closely related to anti-ferromagnetic substances than they are to ferromagnetics in which the magnetization results from the parallel alignment of all the magnetic moments present. We shall not adhere to this special nomenclature except to emphasize effects, which are due to the existence of the sub-lattices.

Dirac Semimetal in Three Dimensions

Abstract: We show that the pseudorelativistic physics of graphene near the Fermi level can be extended to three dimensional (3D) materials. Unlike in phase transitions from inversion symmetric topological to normal insulators, we show that particular space groups also allow 3D Dirac points as symmetry protected degeneracies. We provide criteria necessary to identify these groups and, as an example, present ab initio calculations of β-cristobalite BiO(2) which exhibits three Dirac points at the Fermi level. We find that β-cristobalite BiO(2) is metastable, so it can be physically realized as a 3D analog to graphene.

Electronic structure and Slater–Pauling behaviour in half-metallic Heusler alloys calculated from first principles

Abstract: Intermetallic Heusler alloys are amongst the most attractive half-metallic systems due to their high Curie temperatures and their structural similarity to binary semiconductors. In this review we present an overview of the basic electronic and magnetic properties of both Heusler families: the so-called half-Heusler alloys like NiMnSb and the full-Heusler alloys like Co2MnGe. Ab initio results suggest that both the electronic and magnetic properties in these compounds are intrinsically related to the appearance of the minority-spin gap. The total spin magnetic moment Mt scales linearly with the number of the valence electrons Zt, such that Mt = Zt − 24 for the full-Heusler and Mt = Zt − 18 for the half-Heusler alloys, thus opening the way to engineer new half-metallic alloys with the desired magnetic properties.

Stable magnetostructural coupling with tunable magnetoresponsive effects in hexagonal ferromagnets

Abstract: The magnetostructural coupling between the structural and the magnetic transition has a crucial role in magnetoresponsive effects in a martensitic-transition system. A combination of various magnetoresponsive effects based on this coupling may facilitate the multifunctional applications of a host material. Here we demonstrate the feasibility of obtaining a stable magnetostructural coupling over a broad temperature window from 350 to 70 K, in combination with tunable magnetoresponsive effects, in MnNiGe:Fe alloys. The alloy exhibits a magnetic-field-induced martensitic transition from paramagnetic austenite to ferromagnetic martensite. The results indicate that stable magnetostructural coupling is accessible in hexagonal phase-transition systems to attain the magnetoresponsive effects with broad tunability.