Liquid metals in cooling systems: Experimental design of thermophysical properties of eutectic Ga-Sn-Zn alloy with Pb additions

Abstract Seeking materials that may be used in cooling systems for high temperature and nuclear applications, the liquid metal alloys based on eutectic Ga-Sn-Zn seem to be promising. In this study, the effect of 0.25, 0.5; 1.0; 2.0 and 5.0 (wt%) addition of Pb on the thermophysical properties of eutectic Ga-Sn-Zn was investigated. The temperature dependence of density, viscosity, surface tension, thermoelectric power, electrical and thermal conductivity were obtained. The calorimetry and dilatometry studies demonstrate that the increasing Pb additions caused a reduction in the solidifying temperature with no changes for the liquidus temperature. This has a significant effect on the supercooling properties of investigated alloys; the thermal expansion coefficient is reduced, and the experimental and calculated values agree well. The experimental results show that, with increasing Pb content in eutectic Ga-Sn-Zn, the density, thermoelectric power and viscosity also increase, while surface tension, electrical and thermal conductivity decrease.