arXiv subjects

Suman Mahakal

Publications and source records attributed to Suman Mahakal.

3 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2025

Anomalous Power Factor Enhancement and Local Structural Transition in Ni-Doped TiCoSb

We report a significant enhancement (~269%) in the power factor (PF) and a local structural transition in Ni-doped TiCoSb samples (TiCo_{1-x}Ni_xSb, (x= 0.0, 0.01, 0.02, 0.03, 0.04, and 0.06). First-principles calculations reveal that even minute Ni doping induces a substantial shift in the Fermi level (EF) and alters the density of states (DOS). Structural analysis via Rietveld refinement of X-ray diffraction (XRD) data shows anomalous behavior at x = 0.02, supported by Williamson-Hall and modified methods. X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) at the Ti and Co K-edges further confirms a pronounced local structural change at this composition. These structural transitions are consistent with temperature-dependent resistivity (ρ(T)) and thermopower (S(T)) data, which reflect changes in EF and disorder. Analysis of Lorentz number and scattering parameters reinforces the observed modifications in the electronic structure. The simultaneous enhancement of S and electrical conductivity at x = 0.02 is attributed to the disorder-to-order transition, leading to the marked rise in PF.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2025

Drastic modification in thermal conductivity of TiCoSb Half-Heusler alloy: Phonon engineering by lattice softening and ionic polarization

A drastic variation (~47%) in thermal conductivity (\k{appa}) for synthesized samples (TiCoSb1+x, x=0.0, 0.01, 0.02, 0.03, 0.04, and 0.06) is observed. The lowest \k{appa} is reported for the TiCoSb1.02 sample. Thermal variation of \k{appa} is estimated from the temperature and power-dependent Raman spectroscopy data. Embedded phases and Co vacancy are analysed, employing scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy data. X-ray absorption fine structure (XAFS) spectroscopy reveals the Co vacancy in synthesized samples, and the most ordered phase is TiCoSb1.02 amid the synthesized samples. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy measurement of the synthesized samples provides direct evidence of Co vacancies and their increase with Sb concentration (x). Lattice dynamics are revealed using Raman Spectroscopy (RS) measurements. RS data accomplishes that variation in \k{appa} as a function of Sb concentration is observed owing to an alteration in phonon group velocity, related to lattice softening. The polar nature of the TiCoSb half-Heusler (HH) sample is revealed. Longitudinal Optical and Transvers Optical phonon (LO-TO) splitting in RS is observed due to the polar nature of TiCoSb1+x synthesized samples. Tailoring in LO-TO splitting due to the screening effect, correlated with Co vacancies, is reported for TiCoSb1+x synthesized samples. Lattice softening and LO-TO splitting lead to a minimum \k{appa} for the TiCoSb1.02 synthesized sample.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2025

Meta-GGA dielectric-dependent and range-separated screened hybrid functional for reliable prediction of material properties

We propose a range-separated hybrid exchange-correlation functional to calculate solid-state material properties. The functional mixes Hartree-Fock exchange with the semilocal exchange of the meta-generalized gradient approximation (meta-GGA) and the fraction of Hartree-Fock exchange is determined from the dielectric function. First-principles calculations and comparison with other meta-GGA approximations show that the functional leads to reasonably good performance for the band gap and optical properties. We also show that the present functional also successfully resolves the well-known ``band gap problem'' of narrow gap Cu-based semiconductors, such as Cu3SbSe4 and Cu3AsSe4, where, in general, a considerably large band inversion energy leads to a ``false'' negative or metallic band gap for all other methods. Furthermore, reasonable accuracy for the occupied d-bands and transition energies is also obtained for bulk solids. Thus, overall, our results demonstrate the predictive power of range-separated meta-GGA hybrid functionals for quantum materials simulations.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗