Low-temperature physical properties and electronic structures of Ni3Sb, Ni5Sb2, NiSb2, and NiSb
摘要
We report the results of low temperature resistivity and magnetization measurements on polycrystalline samples of four Ni–Sb compounds,Ni3 Sb,Ni5Sb2,NiS b,and Ni Sb2.Resistivity measurements revealed that these compounds exhibit a metallic type of electrical conductivity.Temperature dependences of the resistivities were well fitted by the generalized Bloch–Gr u¨neisen formula with an exponent of n = 3,indicating that the s–d interband scattering is the dominant scattering mechanism.The magnetic susceptibilities of Ni5Sb2,Ni Sb,and Ni Sb2 are almost independent of temperature(above150 K),exhibiting Pauli paramagnetic behavior.The temperature dependences of the susceptibilities were fitted using the Curie–Weiss law.Ni3 Sb was found to have a paramagnetic–ferromagnetic phase transition at 229 K.First-principles calculations have been performed to investigate the electronic structures and physical properties of these Ni–Sb alloys.The calculation of the band structure predicted that Ni3 Sb,Ni5Sb2,Ni Sb,and Ni Sb2 have characteristics of metal,and the ground state of Ni3 Sb is ferromagnetic.The electrical and magnetic properties observed experimentally are consistent with that predicted by the first-principle electronic structure calculations.