We report the formation of a new stable quasicrystal approximant
in the Ce–Au–Sn system. The crystalline structure of the
Ce15Au65Sn20
compound is investigated by x-ray diffraction and is found to be of similar structure type to the
Zn17Sc3 1/1
approximant. Large clusters with icosahedral symmetry are
located at the node of the body-centred cubic (bcc) unit cell
(a = 1.5190 nm) containing 161 atoms. We have used transmission electron microscopy to
emphasize the relationship of this new compound with the icosahedral space
group. The valence band has been investigated by photoemission spectroscopy
and shows an indication of Van Hove singularities in the density of states,
characteristic of quasicrystalline and related approximant phases. We expect similar
1/1
approximant and possibly icosahedral phases to be discovered in the new RE–Au–Sn
systems (where RE is rare earth). We also found a hexagonal phase with a large unit cell
possessing local icosahedral order, co-existing as a minority phase.
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