The hidden structure in liquid IIIB–VB alloys

• Published in: Journal of non-crystalline solids Vol. 312; pp. 222 - 226
• Main Authors: Aoki, Hirokatsu, Hotoduka, Koichi, Itami, Toshio
• Format: Journal Article Conference Proceeding
• Language: English
• Published: Amsterdam Elsevier B.V 01.10.2002; Elsevier
• Subjects: Condensed matter: structure, mechanical and thermal properties; Exact sciences and technology; Liquid metals and alloys; Physics; Structure of liquids; Structure of solids and liquids; crystallography; Studies of specific liquid structures; Theory and models of liquid structure; P115; 61.20.−p; L135; 81.30.Bx; 61.25.Mv; E240; S440; 72.15.Cz; 72.15.−v; Temperature dependence; Liquid state; Fluctuations; Inorganic compounds; Electrical conductivity; Gallium antimonides; Semiconductor materials; Intermetallic compounds; Indium antimonides; Liquidus; Binary compounds; Composition effect; Experimental study; Eutectics; Anomaly; Effective medium model; Liquid structure
• ISSN: 0022-3093; 1873-4812
• DOI: 10.1016/S0022-3093(02)01666-6

The electrical resistivity, ρ, of liquid Ga–Sb and In–Sb alloys was measured by the dc four probe technique. The value of ρ remains metallic in character and the simple parabolic shape of the Nordheim rule is observed, in spite of the existence of intermetallic compounds with semiconductor properties at the 1:1 composition. However, the concentration dependence of the temperature dependence of ρ, d ρ/d T, for these systems shows a minimum respectively at the eutectic compositions, which are present in the Sb-rich range for both systems. In the extreme case of Ga–Sb alloys d ρ/d T is negative near the eutectic composition and the eutectic temperature, though ρ itself shows a metallic value of an order of 100 μΩ cm. The existence of an anomaly only in d ρ/d T implies that some hidden structure is present near the eutectic point in the respective liquid state. The anomalous behavior of ρ was successfully explained by the existence of concentration fluctuations, based on the effective medium theory, for which three kinds of domains exist. These are the domains of the semiconductor-like GaSb intermetallic compound, of the metallic-like Sb and of the metallic homogeneous liquid.