ИСТИНА

MAX-phases are the family of layered ternary compounds with general Mn+1AXn chemistry, where M is an early transition metal, A is an A-group element (mostly IIIA and IVA) and X is either C or N. MAX-phases possess the unique set of physical characteristics, combining metallic and ceramic ones which are high values of thermal and electrical conductivity, great oxidation resistance, easy machinability, tolerance to thermal shock and mechanical damages. The major part of MAX-phases is paramagnetic, although the Cr2AlC compound was anticipated to be an antiferromagnet. Doping of Cr2AlC MAX-phase with manganese on Cr-site was proposed to enhance the total magnetic response of the compound. However, due to the closeness of ferromagnetic (FM) and antiferromagnetic (AFM) states on an energy scale and the poor quality of samples it’s still an actual goal to reliably determine the magnetic response (Cr1-xMnx)2AlC MAX-phase. Samples of (Cr1-xMnx)2AlC MAX-phase were synthesized using the arc melting technique and characterized by means of XRD and SEM-EDX analysis. Magnetometry measurements were performed on a vibrating sample magnetometer. Magnetization (M) versus temperature (T) and magnetic field (H) dependences were obtained in a range of temperatures from 100 K to 300 K and a range of magnetic fields up to 1 T. XRD and SEM-EDX analysis revealed the sufficient quality of samples and the uniform distribution of Mn in the MAX-phase structure. M vs T dependences demonstrated the jump of magnetization in low temperatures which was attributed to the minor incorporation of Mn-containing FM secondary phases. The magnetic response, seemingly originating from the MAX-phase featured the increment of magnetization accompanying the raise of temperature. This phenomenon was interpreted as a result of canting of AFM sublattices which was previously done here. The obtained results provided deeper insight into the contradictory topic of magnetism in Cr-based MAX-phases and may be used for the further application-oriented investigations.