Isotope effect of impurity diffusion of cadmium in silver

The isotope effect of impurity diffusion of cadmium in silver single crystals was measured with the radioisotopes 115Cd/109Cd by gamma spectrometry. As a mean value E = 0.37 at T = 1060 K was obtained. The correlation factor f /SUB Cd/ = 0.41 is in disagreement with previous results of other investigators due to their unfavourable experimental approach. The present value of f /SUB Cd/ , however, is consistent with those of In and Sn in Ag. A comparison with the corresponding correlation factors in the copper solvent reveals a distinct influence of lattice perturbations because of the different atomic volumes of the solvents. Since the size effect is neglected in the electrostatic diffusion model, the agreement with this model is only qualitative. The frequency ratios for vacancy jumps were calculated. The free binding enthalpy of the vacancy-impurity complex was estimated to be Δg /SUB Cd/ = -0.064 eV. This value is smaller than those for In and Sn in Ag and complies with the relative diffusivities of these impurities in Ag