| Summary: | To our knowledge, no magnetic B2 phase in the Al–Mn system of near-equiatomic compositions has been reported so far. Here, we investigate the structural and magnetic characteristics of Al<sub>45</sub>Mn<sub>41.8</sub>X<sub>13.2</sub> (X = Fe, Co or Ni) alloys. We demonstrate that adding 13.2 atomic percent magnetic 3d metal to AlMn stabilizes a ferromagnetic B2 structure, where Al and X occupy different sublattices. We employ density functional theory calculations and experimental characterizations to underscore the role of the late 3d metals for the phase stability of the quasi-ordered ternary systems. We show that these alloys possess large local magnetic moments primarily due to Mn atoms partitioned to the Al-free sublattice. The revealed magneto-chemical effect opens alternative routes for tailoring the magnetic properties of B2 intermetallic compounds for various magnetic applications.
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