Bulk and surface properties of liquid Sb–Sn alloys

The mixing behaviour of liquid Sb–Sn alloys has been described in terms of energetics and structure through the study of their thermodynamic, surface, transport and structural properties by using the Complex Formation Model (CFM) in the weak interaction approximation and by postulating SbSn chemical complexes as energetically favoured. The new Sb–Sn surface tension experimental data, obtained by the pinned drop method at temperatures ranging from 513 to 1023 K, have been analysed in the framework of the CFM and compared with the calculated values as well as with the corresponding literature data. The structural characteristics of Sb–Sn melts are described by the two microscopic functions, i.e. the concentration fluctuations in the long-wavelength limit and the Warren–Cowley short-range order parameter.