Spin polarization in Cu2MnSn Heusler alloy produced by melt-spinning.

We report on magnetism, transport and spin polarization characteristics of the melt-spun Cu 2 MnSn alloy prepared by the rapid quenching technique. The as- cast ribbons showed a relatively well ordered chemical composition (Cu = 50.4%, Mn = 27.1%, Sn = 22.5%). The structural characterization by using X-ray diffraction shows L2 1 /B2 crystalline structure with the lattice parameter a = 6.196 Å. The magnetic and transport measurements show a metallic behavior with the Curie temperature of 530 K and reveal anisotropic character with the easy magnetization plane parallel with respect to the ribbon plane. As-cast Cu 2 MnSn ribbons show the spin polarization measured by using Andreev reflection technique within the range 68–75%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]