Application of the extended Ziman theory to amorphous nickel-phosphorus alloys

Abstract

The extended Ziman model, which has proven useful in the description of electrical transport in liquid transition metals, is applied to solid amorphous nickel-phosphorus alloys. Muffin-tin potentials, constructed from atomic wave functions, were used to compute the required scattering phase shifts. Partial structure factors were computed in the Percus-Yevick hard-sphere model. Computed resistivities are in accord with the experimentally observed values over the realizable range of compositions. The composition at which the temperature coefficient of resistivity changes sign is correctly given. Measurements on related alloys indicate that the NiP thermopower is correctly predicted as well. The results suggest that electron transport in metallic glasses can be described in terms of liquid-metal theory.