Tunable temperature coefficient of resistivity in C- and Co-doped CuNMn3

Antiperovskite intermetallic compounds, including CuN1-xCxMn3 and CuNMn3-yCoy, have been synthesized. The temperature coefficient of resistivity (TCR) decreases with increasing dopant and changes the sign from positive to negative. For x = 0.05, TCR is only 1.29 ppm K-1 between 240 and 320 K. Zero TCR will appear at certain doping levels (0.05 <= x <= 0.07 or 0.2 <= y <= 0.3), indicating great commercial prospects. The possible reason for zero TCR is analyzed based on the optimization of the electronic structure and electron-phonon scattering. (C) 2011 Acta Materialia Inc. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.