Microscopic Structure of the Wetting Film at the Surface of Liquid Ga-Bi Alloys

Journal Article · Mon May 08 00:00:00 EDT 2000 · Physical Review Letters

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.84.4385· OSTI ID:20216439

Tostmann, H ^[1]; DiMasi, E ^[2]; Shpyrko, O G ^[1]; Pershan, P S ^[1]; Ocko, B M ^[2]; Deutsch, M ^[3]

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1. Division of Applied Sciences and Department of Physics, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138 (United States)
2. Department of Physics, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, New York 11973-5000 (United States)
3. Department of Physics, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat-Gan 52100, (Israel)

X-ray reflectivity measurements of the binary liquid Ga-Bi alloy reveal a dramatically different surface structure above and below the monotectic temperature T{sub mono}=222 degree sign C . A Gibbs-adsorbed Bi monolayer resides at the surface in both regimes. However, a 30 Angstrom thick, Bi-rich wetting film intrudes between the Bi monolayer and the Ga-rich bulk for T>T{sub mono} . The wetting film's internal structure, not hitherto measured, is determined with Angstrom resolution, showing a concentration gradient not predicted by theory and a highly diffuse interface with the bulk phase. (c) 2000 The American Physical Society.

• OSTI ID: 20216439
• Journal Information: Physical Review Letters, Vol. 84, Issue 19; Other Information: PBD: 8 May 2000; ISSN 0031-9007
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE
GALLIUM ALLOYS
BISMUTH ALLOYS
LIQUID METALS
X-RAY DIFFRACTION
FILMS
ADSORPTION
INTERFACES
PHASE TRANSFORMATIONS
EXPERIMENTAL DATA