Equilibrium and kinetics of the short-range atomic clustering in nickel-copper alloys

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
The residual electrical resistivity of Ni-Cu alloys containing 37, 41 and 58 at% Cu was measured after isothermal annealing at temperatures between 623K and 750K. Equilibrium resistivity values were determined between 373K and 750K after sufficient isothermal annealing or 3 MeV electron irradiation. The equilibrium resistivity was found to decrease approximately linearly with increasing reciprocal temperature and to be proportional to the Warren-Cowley short-range-order parameter alpha 1 as derived from neutron scattering experiments in the literature. The resistivity kinetics of the cluster process not being significantly influenced by vacancy annihilation can be described by a simple power law with an exponent gamma =1.44+or-0.3. From the temperature dependent atomic jump rates an effective activation energy for the clustering of 2.1+or-0.3 eV was obtained.