MAGNETIC AND STRUCTURAL PROPERTIES OF COFESN HEUSLER ALLOYS SYNTHESIZED BY HYDROTHERMAL METHOD

Abstract

Heusler alloy CoFeSn nanoparticles were prepared through the hydrothermal route from CoCl, FeCl, and SnCl as precursors. The synthesis was carried out at 150°C for 6 h in an autoclave with molarity changes from 0.2 to 1.0 M. A pure phase of CoFeSn, was obtained at 1.0 M. Structural analysis indicated an increase in crystallite size with increased molarity, while dislocation density was inversely related to crystallite size. FTIR spectroscopy confirmed chemical and structural modifications attributed to different functional groups. Vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM) measurements indicated ferromagnetic character with low coercivity. Hardness measurements by a Shimadzu HMV-2 Vickers micro- indenter indicated increasing hardness with phase formation and stabilization with increasing molarity. Electrical characterization by I-V measurements showed enhanced conductivity for phase-pure samples, with a higher current-voltage response at lower temperatures.