The strain induced band gap modulation from narrow gap semiconductor to half-metal on Ti2CrGe: A first principles study

The Heusler alloy Ti2CrGe is a stable L21 phase with antiferromagnetic ordering. With band-gap energy (∼ 0.18 eV) obtained from a first-principles calculation, it belongs to the group of narrow band gap semiconductor. The band-gap energy decreases with increasing lattice compression and disappears until a strain of −5%; moreover, gap contraction only occurs in the spin-down states, leading to half-metallic character at the −5% strain. The Ti1, Ti2, and Cr moments all exhibit linear changes in behavior within strains of −5%– +5%. Nevertheless, the total zero moment is robust for these strains. The imaginary part of the dielectric function for both up and down spin states shows a clear onset energy, indicating a corresponding electronic gap for the two spin channels.