Semiconductor-Like Behavior of Electric Transport in Fe–V–Al-Based Metallic Alloys and Their Uncommon Magnetic Properties

Abstract

A brief survey of experimental and theoretical works on the study of electronic transport and magnetic properties of iron–vanadium–aluminum alloys of composition close to Fe₂VAl is presented. These alloys consist of “good” metals, but manifest uncommon “semiconductor-like” kinetic and thermal properties in the region of low temperatures, and an anomalous behavior of magnetic characteristics at higher temperatures. These anomalies are explained by the existence of a narrow pseudo-gap in the density of electronic states at the Fermi level E_F and also by a strong effect of the processes of scattering of charge carriers by local magnetic moments.