Conductivity and superlattice ordering in an icosahedral Al-Pd-Mn phase

9 págs.; 6 figs.; PACS number(s): 61.44.Br, 61.10.Nz, 71.30.1h>In situ> conductivity measurements on Al-Pd-Mn quasicrystals have been combined with synchrotron x-ray-diffraction experiments for studying its behavior during phase transformations. In order to confidently reduce the possible contribution to the conductivity of defects and grain boundaries, single-crystal samples have been annealed in situ under UHV conditions. This combined experiment allows us to affirm unambiguously that the structural state of the i-Al-Pd-Mn single crystal influences the electrical conductivity. ©2003 American Physical SocietyThe authors thank Y. Calvayrac and A. Kvick for providing the sample, the ESRF for the beamtime allocation, and J. J. de Miguel for careful reading.Peer Reviewe