The Exploration and Synthesis of Two Intermetallic Single Crystals

Half-Heusler compounds, characterized by their distinctive physical and chemical properties, have been a focal point of extensive research. These compounds follow the general formula XYZ, where X and Y represent transition metals, and Z is a p-block element. Among the promising applications of half-Heusler compounds, thermoelectricity stands out, but they also hold potential in spintronics, magnetic refrigeration, superconductivity, and have recently gained recognition as catalysts for hydrogenation processes. In this study, we successfully synthesized single crystals of the CoNbSn half-Heusler compound and another unique ternary intermetallic compound, Mn_4-xCr_xAl₁₁, using Sn and Al self-flux techniques for the first time. Structural and compositional analyses were conducted through x-ray diffraction and EDS, accompanied by magnetization measurements. Our future work will involve in-situ observation of catalytic processes through Raman spectroscopy.