Electronic and lattice properties of the Zr-Ni compounds-comparison with their amorphous counterparts

Abstract

In several systems of binary metallic alloys based on transition metals with large valence differences between the two constituents there exist many ordered compounds and their amorphous counterparts. One such system is Zr-Ni and the author presents (a) new measurements of the specific heats of several ordered compound and (b) a comparison between them and the known specific heats of amorphous alloys across the same range of composition. It is found, although there are some differences in detail, that for both states the gamma values are of the same order of magnitude. The ability to form amorphous and superconducting states in these materials is then discussed in the light of these results.