Journal of Materials Science, Vol.47, No.14, 5561-5580, 2012
Thermodynamic activities in silicon binary melts
The thermodynamic activities in the silicon binary melts with Al, Ca, Mg, Fe, Ti, Zn, Cu, Ag, Au, Sn, Pb, Bi, Sb, Ga, In, Pt, Ni, Mn and Rh are studied. The silicon activities along the liquidus are calculated through a quasi-regular solution model using the recently determined liquidus constants for the silicon binary systems. The silicon activities at its melting point are calculated considering regular solution approximation. The activities of the other melt component at the silicon melting point are also calculated through the graphical integration of the Gibbs-Duhem equation for the activity coefficient, which are further utilized to determine the corresponding activities along the liquidus. The calculated activities are presented graphically, and it is indicated that the results are consistent with the reported activity data in the literature. The activities in the dilute solutions are also calculated graphically. Moreover, the activities of particular dilute solute elements in silicon are calculated through a simple formula, which is a function of the liquidus constants.