Predicting synthesizable cobalt and manganese silicides, germanide with desirable magnetic anisotropy energy

TL;DR

This study predicts new cobalt, manganese silicide, and germanide structures with desirable magnetic anisotropy energy, focusing on synthesizable phases with potential magnetic applications.

Contribution

It introduces novel low-energy structures of cobalt and manganese silicides and germanides with significant magnetic anisotropy energy, expanding the understanding of their stability and magnetic properties.

Findings

Identified lower-energy cobalt silicide phases with potential magnetic applications.

Discovered manganese silicide structures with strong magnetic anisotropy energy.

Predicted germanide structures with promising magnetic properties.

Abstract

The nanoparticle Co3Si (P63/mmc) displays remarkable magnetism [Appl. Phys. Lett. 108, 152406 (2016)], we thus searched cobalt silicides and several phases are searched including a Cmcm with 60 meV/atom lower than that of P63/mmc. A lower-energy Co R3m (-7.03 eV/atom) is predicted, whose energy is higher than that of known P63/mmc (-7.04 eV/atom) but is lower than that of Fm3m (-7.02 eV/atom). Three small-magnetism low-energy Fe5Si3 structures are searched with energies 30 meV/atom lower than that of experimental P63/mcm. The strong lattice shape dependence of magnetocrystalline anisotropy energy (MAE) is studied through X5Si3 (X=Mn, Fe, Co). The building-block shape and energy order of cobalt silicide is dominated by Co P63/mmc, Fm3m , R3m , respectively. The Co3C and Co3Sn have positive formation of energy, thus only Co3Ge has similar structures with those of counterparts of Co3Si. Several low-energy perfect or nearly-perfect easy-axis/plane MAE Mn3Si, Mn5Si2, and Mn5Si3 structures are searched and present important application, as is also the case in Ge-containing counterparts. A structure I4122 with energy 300 meV/atom lower than that of experimental Mn5Si3 P63/mcm is searched