In-plane magnetic structure and exchange interactions in the high-temperature antiferromagnet Cr2Al

The ordered tetragonal intermetallic Cr$_2$Al forms the same structure type as Mn$_2$Au, and the latter has been heavily investigated for its potential in antiferromagnetic spintronics due to its degenerate in-plane Néel vector. We present the single crystal flux growth of Cr$_2$Al and orientation-dependent magnetic properties. Powder neutron diffraction of Cr$_2$Al and first-principles simulations reveal that the magnetic ordering is likely in-plane and therefore identical to Mn$_2$Au, providing a second material candidate in the MoSi$_2$ structure type to evaluate the fundamental interactions that govern spintronic effects. The single ordering transition seen in thermal analysis and resistivity indicates that no canting of the moments along the $c$ axis is likely. Magnetometry, resistivity, and differential scanning calorimetry measurements confirm the Néel temperature to be $634 \pm 2$ K. First-principles simulations indicate that the system has a small density of states at the Fermi energy and confirm the lowest-energy magnetic ground state ordering, while Monte Carlo simulations match the experimental Néel temperature.

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