Surface properties of sodium, potassium, and their binary alloys in the liquid state

Abstract

The results from investigating the surface characteristics of liquid sodium, potassium, and four potassium–sodium alloys are considered. The Auger spectra and profiles of metal droplets with atomically pure surfaces in the solid and liquid state are studied under the same experimental conditions. It is shown that potassium is a surfactant with respect to sodium at the temperature of an experiment in the investigated range of volume concentrations. It is noted that the obtained values of surface tension are 15% higher than the reference values.