Magnetic property of a Zn–Mg–Sc icosahedral quasicrystal

We have investigated the magnetism of a new Zn 80 Mg 5 Sc 15 P-type icosahedral quasicrystal and a Zn 85.5 Sc 14.5 cubic phase, which is interpreted to be a 1/1 approximant of the new icosahedral quasicrystal, in the temperature region between 2 and 700 K. The magnetic susceptibility of the Zn 80 Mg 5 Sc 15 icosahedral quasicrystal shows an increase from -1.3×10 -7 to -0.8×10 -7 cgsemu/g with a rise in temperature from 90 to 700 K. The Zn 85.5 Sc 14.5 cubic phase shows also a rise from -1.8×10 -7 to -1.0×10 -7 cgsemu/g between 120 and 700 K. The increase in the susceptibility with a rise in temperature is accounted for by a temperature dependence of the Pauli paramagnetism. The experimental results strongly suggest a pseudogap in the electronic density of states at Fermi energy for the Zn 80 Mg 5 Sc 15 quasicrystal and the Zn 85.5 Sc 14.5 approximant, which has been observed in various stable icosahedral quasicrystals.