Structural, magnetic, and critical behavior of CrTe 1- x Sb x alloys

We investigate the structural and critical properties of CrTe 1 −x Sb x with 0.0 ≤ x ≤ 0.2. The XRD patterns revealed that Sb substitution resulted in a pure NiAs-hexagonal structure with P6 3 /mmc (194) space group. Lattice refinement of the structure revealed little changes in the a- lattice parameter, along with a more pronounced reduction in the c-axis. The critical behavior in CrTe 1 −x Sb x has been investigated using the magnetization isotherms near the ferromagnetic transition. The obtained critical exponents ( β , γ , and δ ) revealed that all samples (with 0.0 ≤ x ≤ 0.2) closely follow a mean field-like behavior with ferromagnetic Curie temperature near room temperature. The results from Widom scaling relation indicate self-consistency of the acquired values. Moreover, the magnetization isotherms near the Curie temperature follow a universal scaling behavior, giving further support for the obtained critical exponents.