Compositional dependence of structural and thermal properties of AsTe amorphous alloys

Structural and thermal properties have been examined as a function of composition throughout the glass forming region of the AsTe binary system. The techniques of neutron activation analysis and thermogravimetric analysis were employed to quantitate the chemical composition. Density, x-ray diffraction, and bulk magnetic susceptibility were used to structurally characterize the glasses; the latter property was determined as a function of temperature from 4 to 300°K. The thermal transition temperatures and associated changes in enthalpy have been examined as a function of concentration by differential scanning calorimetry. Thermogravimetry and mass spectroscopy were used to determine the vaporization characteristics. Finally, evidence is presented to support the conclusion that a new face-centered cubic crystalline structure has the binary stoichiometry AsTe.