Interface mixing energy: A measure of interface stability

Abstract

As a measure of the thermodynamic stability of metallic interfaces, an interface mixing energy (IFME) is defined and calculated by means of a first-principles Green's-function technique for different interfaces of Au/Ag and Cu/Ni. We show that the IFME is a directional dependent quantity and the results of our calculations are analyzed in terms of an Ising model. The ratio between the interface and bulk mixing energy is shown to be a valuable quantity that makes it possible to use available bulk data to estimate interface stabilities.