AN EMPIRICAL RELATION BETWEEN DEBYE TEMPERATURE AND FORMATION ENERGY OF VACANCIES IN ALKALI HALIDES

An empirical relation, θD = 32·37 (Ws/MV2/3)1/2, connecting the Debye temperature (θD) and the formation energy of Schottky defects in alkali halides (Ws), is found and this relation is used for predicting the formation energy of Schottky defects in various alkali halides. The predicted values for Ws are compared with the experimental values wherever possible and in many cases the agreement between them is found to be well within 10%. It is believed that the simple relation found here can be useful for a rapid and reasonably accurate calculation of the formation energies of vacancies in alkali halides. © 1969 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.