Solid state phase equilibria in the Pt-Sb-Te system

The Pt-Sb-Te system has been investigated at 600 degrees C, using sealed glass capsule techniques. The alloys were studied by X-ray diffraction, electron probe microanalysis and reflected light microscopy. At 600 degrees C, platinum, Pt5Sb, Pt3Sb, Pt3Sb2, PtSb, PtSb2, Pt2Te3, Pt3Te4, PtTe, PtTe2 Sb2Te3 and antimony are the stable solid phases. No ternary phases of Pt-Sb-Te were found in the system. Appreciable solid solubility was measured in some constituent binary Pt-Sb and Pt-Te compounds. The existence of the Pt5Sb phase was re-confirmed. X-ray powder diffraction data of Pt5Sb and Pt3Sb were indexable on the basis of tetragonal cells with a=3.948(3), c=16.85(1) Angstrom and n= 3.9455(7), c=16.959(5) Angstrom, respectively. Some physical and optical properties of the synthetic phases in the system are also reported.