Giant anomalous Nernst signal in the antiferromagnet YbMnBi2

Pan Y, Le C, He B, Watzman SJ, Yao M, Gooth J, Heremans JP, Sun Y, Felser C (2022)

Publication Type: Journal article

Publication year: 2022

Journal

Nature Materials

Book Volume: 21

Pages Range: 203-209

Journal Issue: 2

DOI: 10.1038/s41563-021-01149-2

Abstract

A large anomalous Nernst effect (ANE) is crucial for thermoelectric energy conversion applications because the associated unique transverse geometry facilitates module fabrication. Topological ferromagnets with large Berry curvatures show large ANEs; however, they face drawbacks such as strong magnetic disturbances and low mobility due to high magnetization. Herein, we demonstrate that YbMnBi2, a canted antiferromagnet, has a large ANE conductivity of ~10 A m−1 K−1 that surpasses large values observed in other ferromagnets (3–5 A m−1 K−1). The canted spin structure of Mn guarantees a non-zero Berry curvature, but generates only a weak magnetization three orders of magnitude lower than that of general ferromagnets. The heavy Bi with a large spin–orbit coupling enables a large ANE and low thermal conductivity, whereas its highly dispersive px/y orbitals ensure low resistivity. The high anomalous transverse thermoelectric performance and extremely small magnetization make YbMnBi2 an excellent candidate for transverse thermoelectrics.

Involved external institutions

Max-Planck-Institut für Chemische Physik fester Stoffe (MPI CPfS) / Max Planck Institute for Chemical Physics of Solids DE Germany (DE) Ohio State University US United States (USA) (US)

How to cite

APA:

Pan, Y., Le, C., He, B., Watzman, S.J., Yao, M., Gooth, J.,... Felser, C. (2022). Giant anomalous Nernst signal in the antiferromagnet YbMnBi2. Nature Materials, 21(2), 203-209. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41563-021-01149-2

MLA:

Pan, Yu, et al. "Giant anomalous Nernst signal in the antiferromagnet YbMnBi2." Nature Materials 21.2 (2022): 203-209.

BibTeX: Download