THE FERMI ENTHALPY IN LIQUID ALLOYS

A new function, F-H, the Fermi enthalpy, representing the energetic pa rt of the Fermi energy, is applied to describe the energy transfer con nected with the alloying of a B metal with a transition metal (TM). Us ually, the Fermi enthalpy increases with the subsequent addition of a B metal to the alloy in a quasi-steady manner filling the d-band of th e TM by electrons of the B metal. For some binary systems, as, for exa mple, Pd + Ga and Pd + In, a constant level of F-H is observed at conc entrations lower than X(Pd) = 0.33, revealing that only two electrons of In and Ga, resp., are involved in the bonding process. The F-H-func tion is discussed for liquid alloys of Ag with Al, Ga, In, and Sn, whe re a maximum in F-H is detected. With (Pb + Li) a density of states eq ual to zero is postulated at x(Pd) = 0.20 corresponding to 8 electrons around one Ph atom. With (Ag + Pd + In) alloys the influence of a thi rd constituent metal on F-H is investigated.