Anisotropic electrical, magnetic and thermal transport properties of the Al80Cr15Fe5 decagonal approximant

摘要

The anisotropic magnetic, electrical and thermal transport properties were studied of a single-crystalline Al80Cr15Fe5 approximant to the decagonal quasicrystal. The temperature-dependent electrical resistivity along the b and c crystalline directions shows non-metallic behaviour with a broad maximum, whereas it exhibits a metallic positive temperature coefficient along the a direction perpendicular to the (b, c) atomic planes. The resistivity can be treated with the model of slow charge carriers, where the increased electron-phonon scattering upon raising the temperature induces a transition from dominant Boltzmann (metallic) to dominant non-Boltzmann (insulating-like) regime. The magnetic susceptibility and thermal conductivity also reveal a small anisotropy.