Magnetic properties of amorphous and quasicrystalline Al75Cu15V10

We compare the magnetic susceptibilities χ(T) and electrical resistivities of well-characterized icosahedral and amorphous phases of Al75Cu15V10 between 2 and 350K. The structure of both phases was confirmed by X-ray powder diffraction and TEM measurements. Above 100K, the icosahedral phase exhibits a temperature-independent Pauli-type susceptibility, but below 100K it decreases with decreasing temperature, hinting that there is a tiny gap in the electronic density of states at the Fermi level. The differences of χ between the amorphous and icosahedral phases suggest that the icosahedral structure does not favor the formation of localized V magnetic moments. No substantial changes are observed in the electrical resistivities of the two phases.