Magnetic Properties of Decagonal AlCuGeMn Qausicrystals

The magnetic properties of ferromagnetic decagonal Al sub 40 Cu sub 10 Ge sub 25 Mn sub 25 quasicrystals are investigated by measuring the magnetic moment as a function of temperature and applied field. To demonstrate whether the quasicrystal state shows an influence on the thermodynamic magnetic behavior, the magnetic phase transition, the hysteretic behavior, and the law of approach to ferromagnetic saturation for both the decagonal quasicrystalline and the disordered crystalline state have been analyzed. For the quasicrystalline state no significant deviations from the behavior of the crystalline state could be detected, except for the hysteresis loop where the demagnetization curve shows the existence of a second magnetic phase.