Abstract:
The magnetic moment $M$, the magnetic susceptibility $\chi$, and the thermal conductivity of chalcopyrite CuFeS$_2$, which is a zero-gap semiconductor with antiferromagnetic ordering, have been measured in the temperature range 10–310 K. It has been revealed that the quantities $\chi(T)$ and $M(T)$ increase anomalously strongly at temperatures below $\sim$100 K. The temperature dependence $M(T)$ is affected by the magnetic prehistory of the sample. An analysis has demonstrated that the magnetic anomalies are associated with the presence of a system of noninteracting magnetic clusters in the CuFeS$_2$ sample under investigation. The formation of the clusters is most likely caused by the disturbance of the ordered arrangement of Fe and Cu atoms in the metal sublattice of the chalcopyrite, which is also responsible for the phase inhomogeneity of the crystal lattice. The inhomogeneity brings about strong phonon scattering, and, as a result, the temperature dependence of the thermal conductivity coefficient exhibits a behavior characteristic of partially disordered crystals.
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