Kinetics of short-range order formation in the ternary alloy Au25Ag25Pd50

Abstract

The kinetics of short-range order (SRO) formation was investigated in the alloy Au25Ag25Pd50by using the residual electrical resistometry. The resistivity was found to increase with the formation of SRO. The resistivity values varied linearly with respect to the inverse of temperature, characterizing the different states of SRO. The analysis of isothermal experiments obeying the fundamental laws showed that the SRO kinetics followed the two-exponentials law. The characteristic time constants for the SRO formation corresponding to various annealing temperatures in the isothermal annealing process and the activation enthalpies were determined with high accuracy. The time constants for the SRO formation and destruction were different, implying that the reaction paths in these processes are different. Further, the crossover experiments confirmed the existence of two-exponential kinetics and the variation of the time constants.