Local structure in liquid binary Al–Cu and Al–Ni alloys

The local short-to-intermediate range structure was studied in liquid Al–Ni and Al–Cu alloys by X-ray diffraction as a function of temperature and composition. A containerless technique, combining aerodynamic levitation and inductive heating, was used to position and melt the samples. The scattered intensity was recorded by an image plate. Liquid samples with compositions corresponding to an intermetallic solid phase show a pronounced prepeak in the structure function S(Q).