Thermodynamic, structural and surface properties of liquid Cd–Zn alloys

Abstract

The mixing behaviour of cadmium–zinc binary liquid alloys have been examined by computing thermodynamic properties, such as free energy of mixing (GM), heat of mixing (HM), entropy of mixing (SM), activity (ai) and microscopic functions, such as concentration fluctuations in long wavelength limit (Scc(0)), Warren–Cowley short range order parameter (α1) and ratio of diffusion coefficients of the alloys at 800K using statistical model in the framework of quasi-chemical approximation. Surface properties have also been analysed using four different approaches. The theoretical study reveals that the ordering energy parameters are temperature dependent and all the observed thermodynamic parameters are in reasonable agreement with the observed values. The Cd–Zn liquid alloys at 800K represent a segregating system with segregation of Cd-atoms at the surface. The values of surface tension obtained from different approaches have been found to be comparable with each other.