Structure and electrical resistivities of liquid binary alloys

Abstract

Extends the self-consistent energy-independent model pseudopotential theory, developed previously for the binary allows of simple metals, to the calculation of the interionic pair potentials in the K-Rb, Na-K, Na-Cs, Li-Na, Li-Mg, Li-In and Li-Tl liquid alloys for a number of different concentrations. Then the authors determine, for these alloys, the hard-sphere diameters from the calculated interionic pair potentials for use in the determination of the partial structure factors in the Percus-Yevick approximation. Finally, the partial structure factors thus obtained are applied to calculate the electrical resistivities. It is found from the comparison of the calculated electrical resistivities with experiment that (a) the values proposed in this work for the hard-sphere diameters are reasonable and (b) the concentration dependence of the electrical resistivity in the liquid binary alloy, in which the electronegativity difference between two components is significant, is primarily dependent upon the partial localisation of the valence electrons on the electronegative ions in the alloy.