Spin Clusters-Induced Electrical Transport Properties of Hexagonal and Orthorhombic Ni3Sn2

Abstract

Ni3Sn2 crystallizes into a hexagonal phase (HT-Ni3Sn2) at higher temperatures while it undergoes structural distortion and vacancy alignment to transform into an orthorhombic phase (LT-Ni3Sn2) at lower temperatures. LT-Ni3Sn2 has not been synthesized in a single-crystalline form, although spin heptamers of Ni atoms can constitute well-organized spin clusters and possibly influence various physical phenomena. This paper demonstrated a successful synthesis of both phases in single crystals using a flux method, and their electrical transport was measured. Both phases showed unusual metallic resistivity, which can be fitted via a power law. This power law behavior is frequently exhibited by compounds consisting of 3d transition metals because of their spin frustration. In magnetoresistance, LT-Ni3Sn2 showed an abrupt increase at a low temperature and weak magnetic field region, indicating an influence of the spin clusters or occurrence of a weak antilocalization due to a strong spin–orbit coupling.