Experimental ordering potential of manganese-polyvalent metals

Abstract Manganese is one of the scarce metals which presents a negative scattering length. It is thus possible, by measuring the total structure factor at a given concentration corresponding to that of the ‘zero alloy’, to obtain experimentally the Bhatia–Thornton concentration–concentration partial structure factor S CC ( q ), from which the ordering potential can be obtained. We present three experimental ordering potentials of Mn 60 Sb 40 (950 °C), Mn 69 Ge 31 (980 °C) and Mn 66 Ga 34 (1050 °C), which govern the order in the binary alloys. The comparison between these three potentials reveals interesting features especially when their depth and shape is analysed in relation with the electronegativity and the size differences of the considered atoms.