Neutron Diffraction Studies on Superconducting Yni₂B₂C At Various Temperatures

Neutron diffraction studies have been carried out on superconducting YNi2B2C (Tc = 15.6 K) at various temperatures between 14 and 300 K to determine its structure, variation of cell constants and interatomic distances as a function of temperature. This compound crystallizes in the tetragonal structure at room temperature and there is no structure change in the temperature range investigated. The lattice parameter shows anomalous temperature dependence in the c-direction