Pressure-induced phase transitions in the Cd-Yb periodic approximant to a quasicrystal

Watanuki, Tetsu; Machida, Akihiko; Ikeda, Tomohiro*; Aoki, Katsutoshi; Kaneko, Hiroshi; Shobu, Takahisa  ; Sato, Taku*; Tsai, A. P.*

The phase study of a Cd-Yb 1/1 approximant crystal over a wide pressure and temperature range is crucial for the comparison study between periodic and quasi-periodic crystals. The Cd4 tetrahedra, the most inner part of the atomic clusters, exhibited various structural ordering in the orientation sensitive to pressure and temperature. Five ordered phases appeared in a P-T span up to 5.2 GPa and down to 10K. The propagation direction of ordering alternated from [110] to 111 at about 1.0 GPa and again to [110] at 3.5-4.3 GPa. The primarily ordered phases that appeared by cooling to 210-250K between 1-5.2 GPa further transformed to finely ordered ones at 120-155K. In addition to the original short-range type interaction, a long-range type interaction was likely developed under pressure to lead to the primary ordering of Cd4 tetrahedra. Coexistence of the two different type interactions is responsible for the complicated phase behavior.