FIZIKA A 10 (2001) 3 , 121-128

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY OF ICOSAHEDRAL i-Al₇₂Pd_19.5Mn_8.5 QUASICRYSTAL

ANTE BILUŠIĆ, ŽELJKA BUDROVIĆ and ANA SMONTARA

Institute of Physics, POB 304, HR-10001 Zagreb, Croatia

Dedicated to Professor Kseno Ilakovac on the occasion of his 70^th birthday

Received 19 September 2001; revised manuscript received 15 November 2001
Accepted 26 November 2001        Online 30 December 2001

Thermal, K(T) , and electrical conductivity, s(T), measurements of the polygrain icosahedral quasicrystal i-Al₇₂Pd_19.5Mn_8.5 are reported in the temperature range 10 K - 300 K. Electrical conductivity shows an anomalous behaviour with a minimum at 120 K and the room temperature value s_RT = 83000 W^-1m^-1. Thermal conductivity at a room temperature is K_RT » 3.4 W/mK, and by lowering temperature, K(T) shows a broad minimum at 120 K, and a shallow maximum around 30 K. Temperature behaviour of thermal conductivity is explained by the Debye model in the temperature range below 50 K, and in the frame of the variable range hopping model above 120 K.

PACS numbers: 61.44 Br, 72.15.Cz, 74.25.Fy
UDC 536.21

Keywords: polygrain icosahedral quasicrystal i-Al₇₂Pd_19.5Mn_8.5, thermal conductivity, electrical conductivity, temperature 10 K - 300 K anomalous behaviour Debye model, hopping model

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