<i>In situ</i>x-ray reflectivity study of the oxidation kinetics of liquid gallium and the liquid alloy

Abstract

The low-temperature oxidation kinetics of liquid Ga and the liquid alloy has been investigated by means of in situ x-ray specular reflectivity. A combination of angle-dispersive and energy-dispersive measurements was used to obtain a time resolution of 20 minutes with a sealed-tube reflectometer, allowing us to follow the growth of a natural oxide layer for 1 to 170 hours following preparation of a fresh surface. Oxide layer thicknesses between 10 and 30 Å were measured for Ga at and the liquid alloy at , and . The oxidation was found to follow a logarithmic growth law in all cases.