Evolution of the electronic structure and physical properties of Fe₂MeAl (Me = Ti, V, Cr) Heusler alloys

We present the results of experiments on the optical, electrical and magnetic properties and electronic structure and optical spectrum calculations of the Heusler alloys Fe 2 TiAl, Fe 2 VAl and Fe 2 CrAl. We find that the drastic transformation of the band spectrum, especially near the Fermi level, when replacing the Me element (Me = Ti, V, Cr), is accompanied by a significant change in the electrical and optical properties. The electrical and optical properties of Fe 2 TiAl are typical for metals. The abnormal behavior of the electrical resistivity and the optical properties in the infrared range for Fe 2 VAl and Fe 2 CrAl are determined by electronic states at the Fermi level. Both the optical spectroscopic measurements and the theoretical calculations demonstrate the presence of low-energy gaps in the band spectrum of the Heusler alloys. In addition, we demonstrate that the formation of Fe clusters may be responsible for the large enhancement of the total magnetic moment in Fe 2 CrAl.