Electrical Resistivity of Amorphous Ni–Pd–P Alloys

Abstract

Ternary alloys containing nickel, palladium, and phosphorus have been obtained in an amorphous form by rapid quenching from the liquid state. These alloys contain from 13–73 at.% Ni, 15–20 at.% P with Pd adding up to 100%. The electrical resistivity of these alloys has been measured from 4.2°K to about 850°K, which is close to their melting point. A Kondo effect, probably due to very small concentration of iron impurities, has been observed in all the alloys below 15°K. Between 15° and about 40°K, the resistivity increases with temperature like T2 and then linearly up to about 550°K. The very small temperature coefficient of resistivity (around 10−4/°C) is attributed to the high degree of structural disorder in the amorphous alloys. Above about 570°K, the amorphous alloys transform progressively into crystalline phases, The variation of electrical resistivity with temperature in specimens heated at rates of about 1.5°C/min was correlated with structural changes observed by x-ray diffraction.