Wetting behavior at the free surface of a liquid gallium–bismuth alloy: an X-ray reflectivity study close to the bulk monotectic point

We present X-ray reflectivity measurements from the free surface of a liquid gallium–bismuth alloy (Ga–Bi) in the temperature range close to the bulk monotectic temperature Tmono=222 °C. Our measurements indicate a continuous formation of a thick wetting film at the free surface of the binary system driven by the first order transition in the bulk at the monotectic point. We show that the behavior observed is that of a complete wetting at a tetra point of solid–liquid–liquid–vapor coexistence.