Unveiling the structure-property relationship in a disordered inverse Heusler alloy Ti2MnAl.

• Ti2MnAl crystallizes with significant atomic disorder resulting in random mixing of constituent elements. • Atomic disorder plays an important role in determination of physical properties. • Ti2MnAl exhibits Pauli's paramagnetic behaviour. • Non-interacting superparamagnetic clusters emerge at low temperatures due to defects. • Disorder give rise to a negative temperature coefficient of resistivity. Search for novel spintronic materials in family of Heusler alloys has attained significant interest in recent years. In this context, Ti 2 MnAl is interesting as it is predicted to host spin gapless semiconducting state and compensated ferrimagnetic ordering. Here we report a detailed experimental investigation of Ti 2 MnAl. Our studies reveal that Ti 2 MnAl crystallizes in cubic structure with strong atomic disorder along with Pauli paramagnetic behaviour. The influence of disorder manifests in form of non-interacting superparamagnetic clusters at low temperatures and negative temperature co-efficient of resistivity. The carrier concentration obtained from Hall resistivity rules out the possibility of spin gapless semiconducting state. Our studies indicate that atomic disorder plays an important role in determination of physical properties of Ti 2 MnAl. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]