Crystal growth of the non-centrosymmetric superconductor Nb0.18Re0.82

Single crystals of the non-centrosymmetric superconductor Nb 0.18Re 0.82 have been synthesized by the floating zone technique using a four mirror optical furnace equipped with Xe arc lamps. The crystal shows a superconducting transition at ∼8.8 K. The quality and phase purity of the crystals were confirmed by x-ray Laue and Energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (EDAX) measurements. Large volumes of crystal obtained are suitable for detailed magnetic, transport and neutron scattering experiments