Thermophysical Investigation of Sodium-Indium Alloy

This study explores the mixing nature of sodium-indium liquid alloy at 713 K, 850 K, 950 K and 1050 K temperatures. It uses quasi-chemical approximation for the thermodynamic analysis of concentration dependent mixing behaviors of the alloy under the assumption of Na₃In complex. It compares the obtained theoretical results with the experimental and results of Redlich-Kister equation for the validity. The researchers concentrate on the viscosity and surface tension of the alloy under the modelling equations as suggested by Kaptay and improved derivation of Butler equation respectively. This paper focuses on the interaction energy parameters among neighboring atoms of the alloy. It observes that the alloy is moderately interacting and ordering nature at the lower concentration of sodium. The theoretical results of the thermodynamic properties are nearly in agreement with the corresponding experimental data as well as results obtained by R-K equation at 713 K.  The study shows that the ordering behavior of the alloy decreases with the increase in temperature. Both viscosity and surface tension have a decreasing tendency with an increase in temperature.

Keywords: Liquid alloys, thermodynamic properties, R-K equation, energy parameters