The nature of isostructural spinodal decomposition in the Al-Zn system

The electronic structure and thermodynamic properties of disordered Al-Zn alloys are investigated in the coherent potential approximation by the KKR-ASA method. Analysis of the electronic density of states and the Fermi surfaces of disordered alloys reveals the presence of eight electronic topological transitions in the concentration interval from 0 to 70 at. % Zn. It is shown that the passage of the Fermi level through two minima of the density of states, which are due to the superposition of different types of electronic topological transitions, gives rise to singularities in the concentration dependence of the second derivative of the thermodynamic potential at points corresponding to the boundaries of the region of isostructural decomposition of the high-temperature solid solution, according to the phase diagram of the Al-Zn system. (C) 1997 American Institute of Physics.