Superconducting and normal state properties of the systems La1−xMxPt4Ge12 (M=Ce,Th)

Authors

K. Huang, University of California, San Diego
D. Yazici, University of California, San Diego
Benjamin D. White, Central Washington University
I. Jeon, University of California, San Diego
A. J. Breindel, University of California, San Diego
N. Pouse, University of California, San Diego
M. B. Maple, University of California, San Diego

Document Type

Article

Department or Administrative Unit

Physics

Publication Date

9-1-2016

Abstract

Electrical resistivity, magnetization, and specific heat measurements were performed on polycrystalline samples of the filled-skutterudite systems La₁−_xM_xPt₄Ge₁₂ (M = Ce and Th). Superconductivity in LaPt₄Ge₁₂ was quickly suppressed with Ce substitution and no evidence for superconductivity was found down to 1.1 K for x > 0.2. Temperature-dependent specific heat data at low temperatures for La₁−_xCe_xPt₄Ge₁₂ show a change from powerlaw to exponential behavior, which may be an indication for multiband superconductivity in LaPt₄Ge₁₂. A similar crossover was observed in the Pr₁−_xCe_xPt₄Ge₁₂ system. However, the suppression rates of the superconducting transition temperatures T_c(x) in the two systems are quite disparate, indicating a difference in the nature of superconductivity, which is conventional in LaPt₄Ge₁₂ and unconventional in PrPt₄Ge₁₂. In comparison, a nearly linear and smooth evolution of T_c with increasing Th was observed in the La₁−_xTh_xPt₄Ge₁₂ system, with no change of the superconducting energy gap in the temperature dependence of the specific heat, suggesting similar types of superconductivity in both the LaPt₄Ge₁₂ and ThPt₄Ge₁₂ compounds.

Comments

This article was originally published in Physical Review B. The full-text article from the publisher can be found here.

Recommended Citation

Huang, K.; Yazici, D.; White, Benjamin D.; Jeon, I.; Breindel, A. J.; Pouse, N.; and Maple, M. B., "Superconducting and normal state properties of the systems La1−xMxPt4Ge12 (M=Ce,Th)" (2016). All Faculty Scholarship for the College of the Sciences. 217.
https://digitalcommons.cwu.edu/cotsfac/217

Journal

Physical Review B

Rights

© 2016 American Physical Society