Abstract
Single crystals of the YPd2Ge2 compound, crystallizing in the body-centered tetragonal ThCr2Si2-type structure, were studied by means of low-temperature magnetization, specific heat and electrical resistivity measurements. The zero-field data confirmed bulk and intrinsic superconductivity of the compound with the critical temperature 1.14 K, while the experiments performed in magnetic fields revealed a non-trivial character of the superconducting state. In particular, low and close to each other critical fields μ0Hc1 and μ0Hc2 (of about 20–30 mT) and field-induced first-order phase transition occurring only in the field parallel to the ab plane suggest possible cross-over from the type-I to type-II/1 superconductivity. Moreover, YPd2Ge2 exhibits robust surface superconductivity with the critical field μ0Hc3 about 20 times larger than μ0Hc1 and μ0Hc2.
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