Limitations of a regular associated solution approximation in describing the thermodynamic behaviour of complex liquid alloys

The validity of the regular associated solution (RAS) model for describing the thermodynamic properties of complex liquid alloys has been analysed by applying it to the Cu-In system. The presence of Cu3In as the associated species in equilibrium with the free atoms in the liquid state was assumed. Liquid copper-indium alloys exhibit a very complex thermodynamic behaviour where the deviations from ideality of activities and integral enthalpy of mixing vary from positive to strongly negative and the properties are strongly temperature dependent. It is seen that a regular solution type interaction among species is insufficient to model the thermodynamic properties of liquid Cu-In alloys and the temperature dependence of interaction energies among the species has to be taken into account. A modified associated solution model incorporating volume effects and temperature dependence of interaction energies could successfully describe the thermodynamic properties of liquid Cu-In alloys.