The Effect of d10 Precious Elements on Structural, Magnetic and Elastic Properties of MnPt Alloy: A First-Principles Study

Abstract

MnPt's exceptional stability and extremely high Néel temperature have generated a lot of interest in data storage applications. Previously, it was reported experimentally that the MnPt alloy shows ferromagnetic (FM) behavior at room temperature. In this study, the effects of partial substitution of Pt with Pd, Au, and Ag on magnetic properties is investigated using density functional theory. The stability of Mn₅₀Pt_50-xM_x (M = Pd, Au, Ag, x = 6.25, 12.5, 18.75) alloys was assessed by determining their thermodynamic, magnetic, and mechanical properties. The calculated lattice constants of Mn₅₀Pt₅₀ agree well with available theoretical results. The Mn₅₀Pt_50-xM_x alloys' formability was assessed by measuring the thermodynamic stability using the heat of formation. It was found that B2 Mn₅₀Pt_50-xPd_x alloys (0 ≤ x ≤ 18.75) are thermodynamically stable due to the negative heat of formation close to that of a pristine MnPt alloy. Based on the elasticity results, the B2 Mn₅₀Pt_50-xPd_x is most likely to undergo martensitic transformation for the entire considered composition range. From the calculated values of the Poisson's ratio, it is shown that an increase in Pd, Ag, and Au effectively improves the ductility of the B2 Mn₅₀Pt_50-xM_x compounds. It was revealed that ferromagnetism is maintained with Pd addition but significantly reduced in the case of Au and Ag. Thus, this work showed that density functional theory can be exploited to propose new possible compositions for future magnets in spintronic applications.