Emergent Phenomena in Strongly Correlated F-electron Systems

Book excerpt: Superconductivity has long motivated researchers for its promise in energy applications; many of the studies have focused on the d-electron high Tc cuprates and how to increase the superconducting critical temperature, Tc. While the focus is understandable, there are still such vacancies in our knowledge of superconductivity that many avenues of research can be fruitful. Therefore, the work in this dissertation focuses on two f-electron superconducting systems: the filled skutterudite PrxCe1-xPt4Ge12 and the ferromagnetic superconductor UCo1-xFexGe. Poly and single crystal samples were synthesized during the course of the studies and were characterized by measurements of electrical resistivity, DC magnetic susceptibility, specific heat, thermopower, and powder x-ray diffraction.