Effect of the Heusler phase formation on the magnetic behavior of the Cu–10 wt.%Mn alloy with Al and Ag additions

• The presence of the Cu2MnAl phase was observed in annealed alloys.
• Al and Ag additions shift the equilibrium concentration to higher Al values.
• There is a correlation between the Ag-rich phase and the Cu2MnAl phase.

In this work, the formation of the Cu2AlMn Heusler phase and its influence on the magnetic behavior of the Cu–Mn–Al–Ag alloys in the range of 8–10 wt.% of aluminum and 2–4 wt.% of silver were studied using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), high-resolution TEM (HRTEM) and saturation magnetization measurements at 4 K. The results showed that there is a correlation between the presence of the Ag-rich phase and the formation of the Cu2MnAl phase.