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Title: Magnetic, transport, and structural properties of Fe[sub 1[minus][ital x]]Ir[sub [ital x]]Si

Journal Article · · Physical Review, B: Condensed Matter; (United States)
; ; ; ; ;  [1];  [2]
  1. Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37831-6056 (United States)
  2. Marlow Industries, Dallas, Texas 75238 (United States)

Magnetic susceptibility, resistivity, Seebeck, Hall, and powder x-ray and neutron-diffraction measurements were used to characterize single crystals of FeSi and polycrystalline samples of Fe[sub 1[minus][ital x]]Ir[sub [ital x]]Si for [ital x][lt]0.2. The Rietveld refinement of low-temperature powder neutron-diffraction data on FeSi showed no change in the space group and no structural anomalies from 4 to 300 K. Magnetic and transport data from 4 to 700 K are consistent with the characterization of FeSi as a narrow-gap semiconductor ([ital E][sub [ital g]]=1200 K) with strong intrasite correlations for the states just below and above the gap. Fits to the magnetic susceptibility and resistivity data suggest that the magnetic (or direct) gap may be larger than the transport (indirect) gap. Electron mobilities in FeSi are very low (3--5 cm[sup 2]/V s). The thermopower of FeSi has a large positive peak (500 [mu]V/K) at 50 K that is attributed to an unusually strong phonon-drag mechanism. Iridium acts as an electron donor in the Fe[sub 1[minus][ital x]]Ir[sub [ital x]]Si alloys. As the iridium doping level is increased, there is a rapid decrease in the low-temperature resistivity and a large negative ([minus]140 [mu]V/K) phonon-drag contribution to the thermopower. For Peltier cooling applications, a maximum value for [ital ZT] of 0.07 was found for a Fe[sub 0.95]Ir[sub 0.05]Si alloy at 100 K.

DOE Contract Number:
AC05-84OR21400
OSTI ID:
6959625
Journal Information:
Physical Review, B: Condensed Matter; (United States), Vol. 50:12; ISSN 0163-1829
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English