Floating zone crystal growth of Lu sub(2)PdSi sub(3) silicide

Lu sub(2)PdSi sub(3) crystals have been grown by the floating zone method with optical heating. The congruently melting compound is a non-magnetic member of the class of R sub(2)PdSi sub(3) intermetallics (R: rare earths) with hexagonal AlB sub(2)-type crystallographic structure. The grown crystals are slightly Pd-depleted with respect to the nominal stoichiometry and contain a minor fraction of LuSi binary phase precipitates. Lu sub(2)PdSi sub(3) exhibits normal metallic behavior, but its electrical resistivity is highly anisotropic and deviates from the Bloch-Gruneisen law.