HEAT-CAPACITY STUDIES OF CHROMIUM-RICH ANTI-FERROMAGNETIC CHROMIUM-IRON ALLOYS

The specific heats of polycrystalline Cr and Cr alloys containing 2.3-, 3.3-, and 4.9-at.% Fe have been measured with a differential calorimeter in a temperature range around the Néel point. Our results are in general agreement with the recent specific-heat measurements by Suzuki. However, the Cr-3.3-at.%-Fe sample is found to exhibit a peculiar avalanche effect which we attribute to a nucleation-controlled phase transition from a metastable magnetic state. Such an interpretation is consistent with Suzuki's results for Cr containing 3.0- and 4.0-at.% Fe, suggesting that the avalanche effect may extend over this entire compositional region. © 1979 The American Physical Society.