Magnetic property of a Zn-Mg-Sc icosahedral quasicrystal

We have investigated the magnetism of a new Zn80Mg5Sc15 P-type icosahedral quasicrystal and a Zn85.5Sc14.5 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 Zn80Mg5Sc15 icosahedral quasicrystal shows an increase from -1.3x10(-7) to -0.8x10(-7) cgsemu/g with a rise in temperature from 90 to 700 K. The Zn85.5Sc14.5 cubic phase shows also a rise from -1.8x10(-7) to -1.0x1.0(-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 Zn80Mg5Sc15 quasicrystal and the Zn85.5Sc14.5, approximant, which has been observed in various stable icosahedral quasicrystals. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.