The partial and integral enthalpies of mixing of liquid ternary Ni-Sb-Sn alloys were determined along five sections xSb/xSn = 3:1, xSb/xSn = 1:1, xSb/xSn = 1:3, xNi/xSn = 1:4, and xNi/xSb = 1:4 at 1000 °C in a large compositional range using drop calorimetry techniques. The mixing enthalpy of Ni-Sb alloys was determined at the same temperature and described by a Redlich-Kister polynomial. The other binary data were carefully evaluated from literature values. Our measured ternary data were fitted on the basis of an extended Redlich-Kister-Muggianu model for substitutional solutions. Additionally, a comparison of these results to the extrapolation model of Toop is given. The entire ternary system shows exothermic values of ΔmixH ranging from approx. -1300 J/mol, the minimum in the Sb-Sn binary system down to approx. -24,500 J/mol towards Ni-Sb. No significant ternary interaction could be deduced from our data.
Keywords: Calorimetry; Lead free solders; Liquid alloys; Ni–Sb–Sn.