Coexistence of superconductivity and magnetism in Y1-xDyxNi2B2C single crystals

Single crystals of Y1-xDyxNi2B2C were obtained in the wide concentration range (0 <x <0.95). Quality of plate-like crystals was examined by X-ray diffraction and XPS measurements. The superconducting and magnetic properties of the samples were determined by means of magnetisation measurements as a function of temperature and magnetic field. The intrinsic properties of Y1-xDyxNi2B2C superconductors are strongly influenced by the magnetic subsystem. The effect of the 4f moment ordering manifests in the suppression of the diamagnetic signal and the shift of the superconducting transition towards the lower temperatures. In the FC plots paramagnetic magnetisation is observed in the Dy substituted superconductors. The applied magnetic field can induce metamagnetic transition in the Y-Dy magnetic sublattice. A high anisotropy in superconducting as well as magnetic properties of pseudoquaternary Y1-xDyxNi2B2C single crystals is found. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.