Structural and energetic asymmetry in liquid Ag–Al alloys

Abstract

The thermodynamic and microscopic structure of Ag–Al liquid alloy at 1273 K has been studied by using regular associated solution model. This model has been utilised to determine the complex concentration in a regular associated solution of Ag and Al. We have then used the complex concentration to calculate the free energy of mixing, enthalpy of mixing, entropy of mixing, activity and concentration fluctuations in long wavelength limit S _CC(0) and the Warren–Cowley short-range parameter α ₁. The analysis suggests that heterocoordination leading to the formation of complex Ag₃Al is likely to exist in the liquid but is of a weakly interacting nature. The theoretical analysis reveals that the pairwise interaction energies between the species depend considerably on temperature and the alloy is more ordered towards Ag-rich region. The alloy behaves like a segregating system in Al-rich region.

Keywords:

• thermodynamic properties
• short-range order
• complexes

Acknowledgements

One of the authors (D. Adhikari) is thankful to University Grant Commission (UGC), Nepal, for providing financial support to pursue the research.