Structure of liquidAl80Ni20alloy

The Bhatia-Thornton and Faber-Ziman partial structure factors (PSF) for liquid ${\mathrm{Al}}_{80}$ ${\mathrm{Ni}}_{20}$ have been determined by neutron diffraction from samples of different Ni isotopic enrichment. From the comparison with the PSF of the liquid ${\mathrm{Al}}_{80}$[${\mathrm{Mn}}_{\mathit{x}}$(FeCr${)}_{1\mathrm{-}\mathit{x}}$ ${]}_{20}$, from which quasicrystalline phases are obtained by rapid cooling, we show that the chemical short-range order is somewhat more pronounced in ${\mathrm{Al}}_{80}$ ${\mathrm{Ni}}_{20}$ than in ${\mathrm{Al}}_{80}$[${\mathrm{Mn}}_{\mathit{x}}$(FeCr${)}_{1\mathrm{-}\mathit{x}}$ ${]}_{20}$. Moreover, the extent of topological ordering as measured with ${\mathit{S}}_{\mathrm{NN}}$(q) is shorter in ${\mathrm{Al}}_{80}$ ${\mathrm{Ni}}_{20}$. Their respective local structural motifs as characterized by the partial pair-correlation functions are clearly different.