Magnetotransport and thermoelectric studies of antiperovskite semimetal: Mn3SnC

TL;DR

This study investigates the magnetotransport and thermoelectric properties of Mn3SnC, revealing complex magnetic transitions, large magnetoresistance, and sign changes in transport coefficients, indicating multi-band electronic behavior and magnetic fluctuations.

Contribution

It provides new insights into the magnetic and electronic transport phenomena in Mn3SnC, a magnetic antiperovskite semimetal, highlighting the effects of magnetic transitions on transport properties.

Findings

Large positive magnetoresistance of 8.2 at 8 T near transition

Sign change in Hall and Seebeck coefficients below transition

Anomalies in Seebeck and Nernst signals at transition and 50 K

Abstract

We explore the magnetotransport and thermoelectric (Seebeck and Nernst coefficients) properties of Mn3SnC an antiperovskite magnetic Nodal line semimetal. Mn3SnC shows paramagnetic (PM) to concurrent antiferromagnetic (AFM)/ferromagnetic (FM) transition at 286 K. The electrical resistivity and Seebeck coefficient indicate the importance of electron magnon scattering in the concurrent AFM/FM regime. We observed a large positive magnetoresistance (MR) of 8.2 at 8 T field near magnetic transition, in the otherwise negative MR behaviour for low temperatures. The electrical resistivity and MR show a weak thermal hysteresis around the boundary of transition temperature and the width of hysteresis decreases as magnetic field increases. Interestingly the Hall and Seebeck coefficients change sign from positive to negative below the transition temperature, highlighting the different scattering for holes and electrons in this multi-band system. The Seebeck and Nernst signal exhibit two sharp anomalies; one at the transition temperature and another at 50 K. The anomaly at magnetic transition in the Nernst signal disappear at 8 T magnetic field, owing to the reduction of magnetic fluctuation. A pseudo-gap near the Fermi level produces an upturn with a broad minimum in the Seebeck signal.