Synthesis and characterization of iQC Al13Cr2 phase single crystal

We report the synthesis of icosaherdral quasicrystal (iQC) Al13Cr2 phase single crystal via Al self-flux method. Powder X-ray diffraction study shows that it crystallizes in a monoclinic structure (space group C2/m) with a unit cell of a = 25.3420 (5) Å, b = 7.6134 (5) Å, c = 11.0559 (5) Å, and β = 128.9°. Electrical resistivity of iQC Al13Cr2 phase single crystal decreases with decreasing temperature, showing a metallic behavior. At low temperatures, it is reasonably fitted with T2 dependence, implying the Fermi liquid behavior. The T2-coefficient A of the resistivity is 0.00182 μΩ cm/K2, leading to the estimated Sommerfeld coefficient γ of 13.49 mJ/molK2 from Kadowaki-Woods relation. DC calorimetry measurements show that the specific heat divided by temperature (C/T) at T = 0 K is approximately 16.26 mJ/molK2, which is comparable with that estimated from resistivity data. We note that, unlike Al14Cr2 compound with an AFM order, magnetization data of Al13Cr2 phase single crystal showed is almost independent of temperature over the wide range of temperature, indicating that moments from Cr ions are screened.