Multiband superconductivity in YRe2SiC

Similarly to the borocarbide compounds [1, 2, 3], other quaternary carbides have revealed a wide variety of noteworthy physical properties [4, 5, 6]. In this paper we report the occurrence superconductivity in the orthorrombic YRe2SiC, which belongs to the Cmcm space group [7]. Samples of YRe2SiC, and YRe1.8SiC were arc melted and let cool at different rates. The microstructural morphology of the samples was analyzed, and the physical properties of the samples with best phase purity were further studied. Superconductivity with a transition temperature onset Tc ≈ 5.9 K could be unequivocally confirmed by means of magnetic susceptibility, electrical resistivity, and heat capacity measurements. A linear dependence of the lower critical field Hc1 with temperature T is reminiscent to the unconventional superconducting behavior seen in YNi2B2C and MgB2 [2, 8]. The temperature dependence of the upper critical field Hc2(T), as well as presence the two heat capacity anomalies below Tc, suggest unconventional behavior. The related quaternary compound Y2Re2Si2C did not show superconductivity down to 2 K.