Local structure in binary liquids probed by EXAFS

An overview of recent EXAFS measurements on binary liquids, including molten ionic and superionic salts, is given. Multiple-edge EXAFS data analysis using multiple-scattering theory is shown to be able to give accurate and reliable information on short-range structure, complementary to that obtained using diffraction techniques. Structural results on alkali bromides (KBr, RbBr) are illustrated and shown to be in agreement with computer simulations based on well established interatomic potentials. EXAFS results of liquid CuBr, for which a neutron diffraction study using the isotopic substitution method is available, are presented. Evidence for a narrower Cu-Br bond-length distribution is found. The usefulness of the performance of EXAFS measurements on binary liquid systems is addressed.