Effect of structural disorder on the ground state properties of Co2CrAl Heusler alloy

In order to discuss the difference between the available theoretical and experimental values of the total magnetic moment of Co2CrAl Heusler alloy, in this paper we studied the effects of a structural disorder on the magnetic and electronic ground state properties of the alloy studied by means of ab initio and Monte Carlo methods. On the one hand, it is shown that a calculated magnetic ground state of the austenite L21 structure is ferromagnetic, and the alloy demonstrates half-metallic behavior. However, the equilibrium lattice parameter and magnetic moment calculated for ferrimagnetic state (where the Cr atoms are ordered antiferromagnetically) are in better agreement with the available experimental data than the ferromagnetic one. On the other hand, an account of a structural disorder results in a decrease in the magnetic moment to a value close to the experimental. However, systems with a structural disorder are energetically unfavorable in comparison with the ordered L21 structure at zero temperature. Using the calculated exchange coupling parameters in the Heisenberg Hamiltonian, the temperature dependences of magnetization, specific heat, magnetic part of internal energy as well as Helmholtz energy are simulated in the framework of Monte Carlo technique for both ordered and disordered cases. Eventually, it is shown that the disordered structure with smaller magnetization is more stable at higher temperatures. This indicates that the experimental compound might be disordered.