Abstract
An isothermal section of the partial Ag–In–Yb phase diagram, involving the icosahedral quasicrystalline (i-QC) phase and its corresponding 2/1 and 1/1 approximants (AP) at 823 K, has been determined. The i-QC, 2/1 and 1/1 AP exist in the compositional region around Ag42In42Yb16, Ag41In44Yb15 and Ag40In46Yb14, respectively. In a way similar to the Cd–Yb system, the i-QC in the present system forms congruently from the melt at around 890 K. On the basis of the phase diagram, a large single grain of i-QC with a diameter of 10 mm was obtained by using the Bridgman method.
Acknowledgements
The authors would like to thank Dr. S. Kameoka, Dr. N. Fujita and Dr. C.P. Gomez for valuable discussions and suggestions.