BULK AMORPHOUS ZN-SB UNDER NORMAL AND HIGH-PRESSURES - PHASE-TRANSFORMATIONS AND RELAXATION PHENOMENA

Processes occurring upon heating of the high-pressure delta-Zn41Sb59 p hase at atmospheric pressure were studied on bulk samples using scanni ng calorimetry and dilatometry in the temperature interval 170-573 K w hich includes the temperatures of amorphization and subsequent crystal lization. Irreversible relaxation of the amorphous state followed by a heat release and elongation of the sample of the order of 1/4 of thos e found upon amorphization were observed at 325-425 K. At room tempera ture the effect of pressure on the electrical resistance of the amorph ous Zn41Sb59 samples (P less-than-or-equal-to 70 kbar) and on their vo lume (P less-than-or-equal-to 28 kbar) was investigated. The resistanc e decreased with pressure by approximately five orders of magnitude di splaying two falls at approximately 20 and 49 kbar characteristic of f irst-order phase transitions. The former transition was found to be re versible and is accompanied by an approximately 0.8% decrease in volum e.