Temperature and Magnetic Field Dependence of Electrical Resistivity in Al–Mn Quasicrystal at Low Temperatures

Abstract

The temperature dependence of electrical resistivity and the effect of magnetic field on it have been measured in a quasicrystalline Al 79.5 Mn 20.5 alloy of almost single phase. This phase has large resistivity (∼800 µΩcm) and a small negative temperature coefficient above 30 K like high-resistive amorphous metals, though the crystallized phase has a positive coefficient like usual metals. Below 30 K, the resistivity of the quasicrystalline phase increases rapidly with decreasing temperature, exhibiting exact logarithmic temperature dependence from 1 K to 15 K. The resistivity increases with increasing magnetic field (≤ 140 kG) in this temperature range, and the origin of the logarithmic temperature dependence is not considered to be the ordinary Kondo effect. Some discussion is made by comparing the present results with those of amorphous metals.