Superconductivity and physical properties of Ba24Si100 determined from electric transport, specific-heat capacity, and magnetic susceptibility measurements
Both Ba24Si100 and Ba24Ge100 with crystallographically identical structure are found to be superconducting at 1.4 and 0.27 K, respectively. Physical properties of this superconductor Ba24Si100 are studied by electric transport, specific heat capacity, and magnetic susceptibility measurements. The density of states at the Fermi level NEF=0.148 states eV-1(Siatom)-1 and a distinct jump of Cp at the superconducting transition temperature ΔCp=0.272JK-1mol-1 are obtained. An exponential fit of Cp below the superconducting states gives an energy gap 2Δ=0.423meV and shows that this is a superconductor having s-wave character or isotropic energy gap. On the basis of our experimental data other important physical parameters are also derived