The electrical resistivities of liquid Pd-Bi alloys and the band structure of crystalline beta-PdBi2 and PdBi

Measurements of the electrical resistivity rho of liquid Pd-Bi alloys as a function of temperature have been performed in the concentration range from pure bismuth to 60 at.% Pd. Plotted as a function of composition, the resistivity of Pd-Bi exhibits a maximum near 30 at.% Pd. At this maximum the resistivity reaches a value of 187.6-mu-OMEGA cm while the temperature dependence of the resistivity d-rho/dT has a sharp minimum and is almost zero at the same composition. For comparison, calculations of the electronic structure of the crystalline compounds PdBi2 and PdBi have been carried out using the augmented spherical wave (ASW) method.