Comparative Study of Magnetic Properties of (Mn1−xAxIV)Bi2Te4 AIV = Ge, Pb, Sn

We investigated the magnetic properties of the antiferromagnetic (AFM) topological insulator MnBi2Te4 with a partial substitution of Mn atoms by non-magnetic elements (AIV = Ge, Pb, Sn). Samples with various element concentrations (10–80%) were studied using SQUID magnetometry. The results demonstrate that, for all substitutes the type of magnetic ordering remains AFM, while the Néel temperature (TN) and spin-flop transition field (HSF) decrease with an increasing AIV = Ge, Pb, Sn concentration. The rate of decrease varies among the elements, being highest for Pb, followed by Sn and Ge. This behavior is attributed to the combined effects of the magnetic dilution and lattice parameter increase on magnetic properties, most prominent in (Mn1−xPbx)Bi2Te4. Besides this, the linear approximation of the experimental data of TN and HSF suggests higher magnetic parameters for pure MnBi2Te4 than observed experimentally, indicating the possibility of their non-monotonic variation at low concentrations and the potential for enhancing magnetic properties through doping MnBi2Te4 with small amounts of nonmagnetic impurities. Notably, the (Mn1−xPbx)Bi2Te4 sample with 10% Pb substitution indeed exhibits increased magnetic parameters, which is also validated by local-probe analyses using ARPES. Our findings shed light on tailoring the magnetic behavior of MnBi2Te4-based materials, offering insights into the potential applications in device technologies.