Lattice dynamics and specific heat of Al-Si and Al-Ge solid solutions

A simplified treatment has been proposed to study quantitatively the lattice dynamics of Al-Si and Al-Ge alloy systems by solid-solutioning under pressure. The volume and electron density effects on the lattice dynamics of the pure constituents aluminium, silicon or germanium are considered, and the phonon dispersion relations of the local and band modes were obtained. Then, the concentration dependence of the local and band mode frequencies were calculated for the Al_1–xSi_x and Al_1–xGe_x systems. Using the local and band mode frequencies, the lattice specific heat at constant volume was determined theoretically, and results obtained for the temperature-dependent specific heat of matrix aluminium were found to be in good agreement with the experimental data. The concentration dependence of the specific heat could then be predicted quantitatively for Al_1–xSi_x and Al_1–xGe_x alloy systems.