Structure analysis of molten Ba-Ge alloys using electrostatic levitation technique combined with high-energy X-ray diffraction

High-energy synchrotron X-ray diffraction experiments were performed for clathrate-forming barium-germanium (Ba-Ge) alloys in the liquid state near the eutectic composition. The accurate structure information of highly reactive melts has been obtained by applying electrostatic levitation technique as a containerless method. The structure information obtained from the reverse Monte Carlo simulation suggests that the short-range ordering between the Ge atoms occurs with the addition of Ba atoms in the liquid Ba-Ge alloys. This can be associated with the formation of the cage-like structure composed of the Ge atoms in the liquid alloys near the eutectic composition.