Adventures in Crystal Growth: Synthesis and Characterization of Single Crystals of Complex Intermetallic Compounds

Abstract

The central motivation of this manuscript is to highlight the discovery of novel, highly correlated electron systems. Ternary phases with unusual ground states composed of lanthanides, transition metals, and main group elements exhibit competing behavior leading to potentially novel physical properties. These systems are known to exhibit exotic properties such as unconventional superconductivity, heavy fermion behavior, and unusual forms of magnetism. The flux-growth method provides an avenue to discover and grow large single crystalline materials so that structure–physical property relationships may be determined. The growth of high quality single crystals is necessary to elucidate the intrinsic magnetic, electronic, and thermodynamic properties and has played a significant role in advancing basic and applied materials research. In this manuscript, we review the crystal structures, physical properties, and structure–property correlations of a select group of intermetallic compounds to demonstrate the potential for growth and discovery of materials using main group flux.