Bond energy in palladium and platinum-rich alloys with the A4 transition metals

Unit cell parameters were measured for the binary palladium and platinum-rich alloys containing the A(4) early transition metals (titanium, zirconium and hafnium). The composition dependence of the average atomic volume was investigated for the whole composition range of these binary systems. For the palladium and platinum-rich portions, the partial atomic volume and the partial molar enthalpy of formation are discussed. Both the volumetric and the thermodynamic quantities reveal a strong bond energy between atoms of the heavy A(4) transition metals (zirconium and hafnium) and the heavy A(10) transition metals (palladium and platinum). (C) 2003 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.