Effect of molten gallium on the surface tension of solid cadmium

The method of zero-creep was used to measure the surface tension of solid cadmium in the presence of small quantities of gallium. The average surface tension of pure cadmium at 280° C is 650 erg/cm², which is in agreement with data for liquid cadmium. It was shown that gallium reduces the surface tension of cadmium, both in the case of adsorption, i.e., excess concentration of the adsorption-active component (gallium) in the surface layers of solid cadmium, and in the limiting case, i.e., at the interface between solid cadmium and liquid gallium.