Internal friction behavior of liquid AsxTe1−x mixtures

The internal friction technique was applied to investigate the structure properties of liquid AsxTe1−x mixtures. A well-pronounced peak was observed in the curve of internal friction as a function of temperature in the liquid AsxTe1−x (x ⩽ 40 at.%), suggesting that an abnormal structural change may take place in this system. The appearance of this internal friction peak during both heating and cooling processes indicates that the abnormal behavior is reversible in the molten As–Te system. Further analysis indicates that the internal friction peak observed in AsxTe1−x (x ⩽ 40 at.%) melts may be associated with the decomposition of As2Te3 clusters with the increase in temperature.