Liquid surface and liquid/liquid interface energies of binary subregular alloys and wetting transitions

Energetics and chemistry of liquid surfaces and liquid/liquid interfaces of binary A-B alloys are calculated using a subregular solution model. In this model, two macroscopic energetic parameters are used to produce an asymmetric miscibility gap. They are related to two microscopic parameters which describe the interaction energy between two atoms as a function of the composition of the first coordination shell of each atom. The impact of the asymmetry of the A-B interactions on the surface and interfacial energies and adsorption are analyzed by comparing the results obtained with this subregular model to those calculated for a regular solution. The role of the asymmetry on the prewetting and wetting transitions are also discussed. Calculations performed in the Co-Cu system are in good agreement with experimental data of surface energy. (c) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.