Low-temperature specific heat of magnetic superconductors Dy0.6Y0.4Rh3.85Ru0.15B4 and Dy0.6Y0.4Rh4B4

Specific heat CM (T) of polycrystalline Dy0.6Y0.4Rh4B4 and Dy0.6Y0.4Rh3.85Ru0.15B4 was studied in the temperature range of 0.5–9 K and magnetic fields 0–10 kOe for the first time. It was found that the λ-anomaly in the specific heat exists at Tc ≈ 6 K for Dy0.6Y0.4Rh4B4 and at Tc ≈ 6.6 K for Dy0.6Y0.4Rh3.85Ru0.15B4. It is suppressed in a magnetic field and shifted to lower temperatures. Partial substitution of Rh by Ru enhances superconductivity, presumably, due to stronger inner magnetism of the dysprosium sublattice in Dy0.6Y0.4Rh4B4 as compared with Dy0.6Y0.4Rh3.85Ru0.15B4. Furthermore, it was observed that the molar heat capacity CM (T) of Dy0.6Y0.4Rh3.85Ru0.15B4 increases with decreasing temperature for T < 4 K. In Dy0.6Y0.4Rh4B4, an increase in CM (T) with decreasing temperature is accompanied by the appearance of a maximum at T max = 1.5 K, which might be a manifestation of the magnetic phase transition in the dysprosium subsystem at this temperature.