A New Model for Microstructure of Liquid Metals

A nanocrystalline model for microstructures of liquid metals is constructed. According to the nanocrystalline model, the intensity curves of x-ray diffraction (XRD) on liquid Cu, Al and Al₆₅Cu₂₀Fe₁₅ alloy are derived by broadening the XRD peaks of these metals in some crystal structures. These broadening intensity curves are identical with the results measured by an x-ray diffractometer on these liquid metals. The present results indicate that the nanocrystal model may be helpful to understand the microstructures of liquid metals and that there is a close correlation between the short-range orders (SROs) of these liquid metals and some crystal lattice structures. That is, the SRO structures of liquid Cu, Al and Al₆₅Cu₂₀Fe₁₅ alloy are fcc, bcc and icosahedron, respectively.