Abstract
An accurate knowledge of the surface tension of liquid metals is critical for many theoretical and practical applications, especially in the current context of emerging growth of nanotechnology. The surface tension and its temperature dependence are drastically influenced by the level of impurities in the metal such as oxygen, sulphur or carbon. For this reason, experimental surface tension data of metals reported in literature are scattered. Strictly speaking, when referring to the surface tension of liquid metals, both variables temperature and oxygen content must be specified. There exists no clear formalism describing the coupling effect temperature and the oxygen content upon the surface tension of liquid metals. The aim of this work is to fill this gap. A thermodynamically self-consistent formulation for the surface tension of liquid metals and semiconductors as a function of temperature and oxygen content is established. According to the proposed formalism, a reliable expression for the surface tension of pure and oxygen saturated metals is then derived. The proposed model is found to be in good agreement with available experimental data, showing a good predictive capability. Aluminium is chosen and thoroughly evaluated as a case study, due to its very high sensitivity to oxygen level. Its surface tension is explicitly formulated as a function of temperature and oxygen content.
Highlights
The surface tension of liquid metals has been extensively studied for nearly a century, both from an experimental and a theoretical point of view, there is still no clear value of the surface of tension liquid metals
In our recent work, considering the Gibbs adsorption isotherm concept, we have shown that the oxygen content dependence upon surface tension can be by first degree approximation assumed to be directly proportional to the value of the surface tension at a given temperature: (∂σ/∂xO) ∝ σ
We presented in this work a thermodynamically self consistent approach to predict the coupling effects between the temperature and adsorbed oxygen upon the surface tension
Summary
The surface tension of liquid metals has been extensively studied for nearly a century, both from an experimental and a theoretical point of view, there is still no clear value of the surface of tension liquid metals. The oxide monolayer causes a drastical decrease of the surface tension, from 1.05 ± 0.05 N.m−1 to 0.85 ± 0.05) N.m−1 2,3. This example reflects the surface tension’s extreme sensitivity to oxygen, and more generally to impurities such as S, C, P. The primary purpose of this work is to establish a clear and reliable formalism to describe the surface tension as a function of both temperature and oxygen content. In our recent work, considering the Gibbs adsorption isotherm concept, we have shown that the oxygen content (xO) dependence upon surface tension can be by first degree approximation assumed to be directly proportional to the value of the surface tension at a given temperature: (∂σ/∂xO) ∝ σ. CweloehnmetreeennΓttsOaS.atTt.fhuaenlilrdcvoxavOslaeutr.eaasgrweee(rrseeasdtpueertcaetrtiimvoenilny)e.tdBhoebytfhuGlplhaceroraivmbeireeattgearels.o4λxaOyssa:gtλeaOnsnatdad=ξsOo1ra6pr0et7iuo8nnainavdtertξhsOae =l lci 7qo.un4is2dt2a.snΓutrOssaf,ta.ic.ceea.naidnbedendttheicteearolmxfoyirngeaendll from the lattice constants of the corresponding metal-oxyde monoxide using the well established Kozakevitch’s approximation given by[5]: Γosat
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