Brillouin Zone Concept And Crystal Structures Of sp Metals Under High Pressure

Abstract

The concept of Brillouin zone-Fermi sphere interactions, first developed to explain the stability of the Hume-Rothery phases in the noble metal alloys by Mott and Jones, is extended to high pressure phases of sp metal alloys as well as to alkali metals under high pressure. The formation of an energy gap at the Brillouin zone boundary lowers the kinetic energy of the free electrons, and provides the appearance and stability of complex structures.

Keywords:

• Phase stability
• High pressure
• Hume-Rothery phases
• Alkali metals