Invar Like Behavior of the Cr 2 AlC MAX Phase at Low Temperature

Michel Jaouen (1) , Patrick Chartier (1) , Thierry Cabioc’h (1) , Vincent Mauchamp (1) , Gilles André (2) , Michel Viret (3)

1 PPRIME - Institut Pprime
2 LLB - UMR 12 - Laboratoire Léon Brillouin
3 LNO - Laboratoire Nano-Magnétisme et Oxydes

The structure of Cr AlC has been studied using neutron scattering experiments performed in a temperature range running from room temperature down to 1.8 K. It is shown that the unit cell volume does not vary significantly below 80 K. This anomalous behavior, correlated with the existence of a weak ferromagnetic ordering revealed from superconducting quantum interference device experiments, is similar to that characteristic of Invar alloys. Just above the Curie temperature T ~ 73 ± 5 K, the Cr AlC undergoes significant distortions of the octahedron and triangular prisms units. Above 100 K, Cr AlC follows an usual thermal expansion.

Domains: Physics [physics]

Michel Jaouen, Patrick Chartier, Thierry Cabioc’h, Vincent Mauchamp, Gilles André, et al.. Invar Like Behavior of the Cr 2 AlC MAX Phase at Low Temperature. Journal of the American Ceramic Society, 2013, 96 (12), pp.3872 - 3876. ⟨10.1111/jace.12635⟩. ⟨cea-01498669⟩